Remnants of the Past
by NitroStation
Summary: The Decepticons have no concept of the word loyalty. Even the most devout can be the most decieving in the end... Starscream realises this the hard way when he ends up in Autobot hands while his processor is glitching into oblivion. Visions of a world and self lost long ago...Starscream/Arcee, for all intents and purposes AU
1. Chapter 1

_As I finally got time to catch up on some of the TF Prime episodes, I realised how detached this fanfic was from the overall story, as well of how OOC I had made some characters. And I am pretty ashamed of myself for letting it all slide. As such, I've been rewriting every chapter to fit in better with the canon, and hopefully making it all more believable. _

_Instead of after Crossfire, this will be taking place after Tunnel Vision, modifying the timeline slightly and having Arcee and Bumblebee return before the start of 'Hurt', while also somewhat intercepting with the start of Triangulation, and then will build on from there. _

_xx_

_'She knew with painful certainty that the opposite of love was not hate, but indifference'_

_xx_

**Chapter 1; Emerge**

The evening sunlight filtered through the autumn forest, leaving dappled shadows on Arcee's sleek frame. She left the base for scout duty with Bumblebee just over an hour ago, and her peds were already aching. It didn't help that she had barely returned from New York when she was sent to scout with Bee. Iacon Relic race or not, Optimus demanded that the surrounding territory be kept as safe and 'Con-free as possible. As for the Phase Shifter, Optimus had it stored away in the deep vaults of the base.

Frequently, she stumbled on stones and sprawled tree roots, and the uneven ground wasn't making it any better. Next to Bridge operation, scout duty was her least favourite job - especially in the forest areas - but at least she wasn't stuck in the base all day.

A series of Cybertronian beeps and chirps sounded from Arcee's comm system; Bee was signalling a grateful absence of Decepticon activity.

"You head back to base, Bee. I still got a few places to search," she replied to her yellow companion. A few clicks and the distant woosh of a Ground Bridge closing, and Arcee was alone.

15 minutes later, the blue femme found what she'd been looking for. The halved wreck of the Harbinger, embedded in the dusty ground and hidden among the rocks surrounding the crash site. Optimus had given Arcee specific instructions to scout the remains before bridging back, perhaps hoping she'd stumble across some form of Cybertronian tech or an energon cache. The ship brought memories of Airachnid to mind, as well as their most recent encounter. She was the central mind of an entire hive of Insecticons, Primus knows how she got the rabid creatures under her control. Though at least with Airachnid in stasis the insects would be out of action. And then there was their penultimate meeting: Arcee strung up like a trapped animal, the spider-femme about to snuff out her spark when... Starscream appeared.

_'Consider us even,'_ is what he said before sauntering off, leaving Arcee dazed in the dirt. She still couldn't figure out what caused the deadly Decepticon to save her, the enemy. Starscream seemed incapable of any emotions other than hate, pride and greed. But in that one moment, the Autobot was sure she something like mercy flicker in the mech's blood-red optics, something that seemed almost...human.

Her own optics widened as she refocused on the task at hand: Search the ship. Report anything suspicious. Do _not_ engage in battle. Now that she thought about it, Optimus had most likely arranged this mission as a test for Arcee. She'd claimed to have no desire for revenge against Airachnid anymore, but their last mission proved otherwise. Her leader wouldn't have much trust in her to obey orders after that.

She took in a ventful of cold air to keep herself aware of the surroundings, and entered the wreckage.

xx

Arcee's peds clanked against the metal floor of the Harbinger, sending ominous echoes down the deserted corridors. She peered through every doorway and opening she came across, blasters at the ready. So far only one of the closed doors she came across still had its motion detectors working and slid open to reveal a laboratory- all computer banks and empty protoform holders. Too advanced for Arcee's limited science knowledge, but she'd let Ratchet know it was there. Back to the search, scrutinising every shadow for signs of Cons or other hostiles. With Airachnid gone, the ship would be up for grabs for any bot in need of shelter.

_'Which applies to Starscream,' _Arcee realised, pausing her search to consider the thought. If she encountered the Seeker again...what would happen? Another skirmish would be the most likely - if the only possible - outcome.

Shaking her helm, Arcee continued with her mission, praying to Primus the ship really was as abandoned as it first appeared.

xx

Starscream was used to situations like this by now. Alone, exhausted, starving for energon and in desperate need of repair. And just when he thought the situation could get any worse.

He had terminated the last of his treacherous clones and thought things were finally looking up as he prepared the clone's T-Cog for transplant. The organ wasn't the only thing that the clone had brought with him though. An Insecticon had tracked him back to the original Starscream's base while he was escaping the Nemesis, and the foul creature must have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. It tackled Starscream to the floor, bearing those hideous fangs and sinking them deep into the metal, clipping several energon lines. He was caught off guard and weakened, so it took the rest of his strength and firepower to finish it off.

It had left its mark in the form of countless scratches, bites and all manner of lacerations. To top it all off, the Primus-forsaken creatures carried a kind of poison which was highly dangerous to Cybertronians, and now streaming through Starscream's energon. The pool of the lifesource had collected and since dried underneath his mutilated frame, which was spotted with purple toxins.

The mech had propped himself up on the walls of the ship, to disrupt and slow the progress of the poison coursing through him. He gave himself about another human hour before he offlined. At this point, he didn't even care. If four of him couldn't defeat Megatron, what chance did he have on a world where the weak were stepped on and thrown to the scrapheaps? It was imperialist Cybertron all over again.

Forcing a sigh past his audial systems, Starscream's thoughts took over_. 'Is this what it's like for all bots? A sudden influx of petty memories before the spark goes out? Still, could be worse. I could have that power-mad waste of energon Megatron lording over me. Times like this I wonder what I saw in him all those cycles ago...Maybe it was just the typical naivete that came with Cybertron youth._

_Maybe I just wanted to prove myself...'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Memory Sequence 01 initialising...**

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_The sky was a vast expanse of gunmetal grey, speckled with deep red- a perfect Cyberton evening sky._

_Beneath the smoky atmosphere, a young mech walked the riveted streets alone. He moved as swiftly and silently as possible, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but here._

_Eventually he paused outside a pair of derelict warehouse doors, before walking towards them. Unknown to other bots, who would find the doors barred and locked, they only opened to those who could crack the security code, which the mech was now deciphering on a side panel with near-expert ease. The doors slid open with a faint registering beep, and the mech walked inside._

_xx_

_"Didn't think you'd make it, Starscream," the rich voice of a red mech commented from the corner of the compact air-lock like area. Molten coloured lights like veins criss-crossed the walls._

_"Are you suggesting I'm incapable of walking the mere klicks to this little gathering of yours, Knock Out?" Starscream rasped after recovering from the surprise of hearing the mech's voice._

_"I wouldn't call from Crystal City to Kaon 'mere klicks', but whatever you say," Knock Out retorted, passing Starscream to type on a small keyboard at the other side of the room._

_Of course Starscream knew what he'd really meant by his statement: Their encounter earlier that day had no doubt let Knock Out see a different, more fragile side of Starscream. Even just last week during his graduation of Helix Academy he couldn't stave off his shakes- at least then there was a logical cause and he wasn't alone in his nervousness. But when the aloof mech approached him earlier that day, he was trembling and sweating coolant in rivers: it did not make a good impression. Especially if what Knock Out had said was true, that his shadowy employers the 'Decepticons' had a job in mind for Starscream. When questioned about it, Knock Out only revealed it came with a lot of credits._

_In short, nobody expected Starscream to have the bearings to go._

_"Where are these Decepticons anyway?" he grumbled, feeling an uncomfortable draught blowing across his sensory nerves._

_"Keep your codpiece on, Starscream. They should be riiight...here!" Another click sounded as a second door moved aside into a similarly lighted hall, buzzing with the chatter of crowds of other bots. Some looked toward the two mechs entering for curiosity's sake before returning to their conversations._

_"You didn't say there'd be this many other bots interested," Starscream growled as he pushed his way through the crowd._

_"Well, you never asked," Knock Out replied, smirking. "Besides, these grunts are here to fill in the rudimentary positions. You're needed for a special job."_

_Starscream just muttered in annoyance as they reached the front of the crowd, soon finding himself caught between a barrier and a horde of morons._

_The torso-high metal wall separated the crowd area from a large raised platform. 'A bit grandiose if you ask me,' Starscream noted grumpily. Knock Out, meanwhile, was preoccupied by trying to avoid other bots who might scratch his paint._

_Starscream sighed, already regretting following Knock Out's advice. He kept thinking that surely there were other ways to get credits other than allying himself with these brutes. Still, his intern-ship at the Crystal Labs didn't pay much and he was growing desperate._

_To top off his discomfort, several of the bulky bots had started to jostle and shove him out of pure fun and not in a competition for space. Others were jeering at him, as if they'd never seen a mech with such a slender and pointed shape. Starscream was used to it though, the name-calling and taunts unoriginal and sometimes even laughably pathetic. The Well of All Sparks had crafted him differently, and if that was the will of Primus then what place did Starscream have to argue?_

_xx_

_His chronometer registered 15 Cybertronian minutes of boredom and bother before the reason Starscream had come here tonight was revealed._

_The already loud noise of the crowd ascended to a cacophony that relentlessly battered one's audios as a towering shadow marched into the empty circle. As the light illuminated the shape, Starscream felt his spark skip a beat._

_"Is that...?" he began to ask Knock Out, but the word stuck in his throat like a lump of solid energon. The red mech nodded anyway, as the figure that loomed over them was none other than the Cybertron champion himself, Megatronus._

_As the legendary gladiator faced the many mechs gathered before him, he smirked, showing a scar-like mouth lashed across his face. His servos lifted of their own accord, as if embracing the crowd's cheers and chants. Megatronus allowed this to continue for several lingering minutes before signalling for silence._

_Gradually the noise receded until the only sound was of fidgeting bots clanking together in anticipation._

_"My brothers, fellow Cybertron warriors," he began, his voice booming and echoing off the walls and channelling through the very frames of those before him. "You have been summoned here because I am in need of your talents, your skills." He started to pace from one end of the stage to the other, revealing an imposing purple-and-black mech behind him, his pose indifferent and face covered. Starscream was sure he'd seen him before, but he could only recount brief glimpses of him, nothing more._

_"For too long we have been repressed, crushed by hands who think themselves better than us!" The gladiator snarled as he finished the sentence. Instantly the air erupted into furious shouts of agreement, countless curses hurled at the higher powers of their home planet. Starscream felt his diodes tense at the slander directed towards the high-caste bots. Verbal abuse because of his appearance, he could deal with. But if any recognized him as coming from a high-class city like Crystal...he didn't want to think of what they'd do to him._

_Starscream shot an incredulous stare at Knock Out, who had so far been silent. The red mech responded with a relaxed gaze so easily adopted that it seemed to be his default expression. It did little to stop Starscream thinking this was suicide._

_"It's time to give ourselves a voice, force those who'd silence us to finally listen, see us as equals. We deserve no less, and they deserve no better." Another wave of heated anger, and Megatronus spoke even louder._

_"The time for talk is over, now is the time for action! They will not listen to words, but perhaps they understand the sounds of our guns, our fists!" This prompted some smart-afts to show off their weapons, bullets and swords ringing off every surface._

_"A new era is on the horizon, the era of the Decepticons! All will look to us to save them, cities will rain with the energon of our enemies! And who are our enemies, you may ask?"_

_Inquisitive shouts took up the air now._

_"Iacon! The Council! The powers that ground us into dust and silence our pleas! Orion Pax, the council's dog, thinks his army is strong, that are pursuing a noble cause. All slag!"_

_Starscream could barely hear him now. It was a battle of who could scream profanities loudest, of which almost everyone was a sure winner._

_"When you look upon the upper caste, do so with sparks of fire and minds of defiance! One day we shall take to the streets, and seize what is rightfully ours, gather with our weapons high! And we shall deliver any Autobot back into the fold of Primus!"_

_This caught Starscream by surprise. 'Knock Out didn't mention murder either...' He felt sick in his spark chamber, the feeling of regret had increased tenfold._

_"And when that day comes, we shall march into the very centre of Iacon City and blast them right in the-'_

"Starscream?"

The seeker was torn from his thoughts as he heard his name being called. Glancing upwards, he found himself staring down the glowing barrel of Arcee's cannon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2; Aid**

"Cool your circuitry, Autobot. I'm in no shape for a fight," Starscream sighed, his optics locked onto the angry blue barrel aimed at his helm. That, and he was still trying to understand what had just sprung from his mind. That was no memory, he'd never had any past recollection of what he had just witnessed. 'A CPU glitch? Or perhaps...' When Cybertron was still whole and he was but a young Decepticon recruit, he was told that a large chunk of his memory banks were damaged and subsequently wiped during a battle with the Autobots, back then known as the core Iacon Army. But of course, that information _had _come from Megatron...it was possible that his memory wasn't as damaged as he had made it out to be.

But he had to push all of that to the back of his mind for now. If he survived the next day, then he'd have a chance to review it all.

"How do I know you're not bluffing, rogue?" Arcee asked sceptically.

"Where did you think all this energon came from?" Starscream retorted, motioning to the cyan crust and liquid mixture on the floor.

Hesitating for a few seconds, Arcee eventually transformed her servo back to normal, though her wires were still tensed.

"What happened here?" she asked, kicking aside the nearby Insecticon corpse.

"Ambush. One of those Insecticons must have followed-" The mech was cut off by a groan ripping past his faceplate opening. Arcee recognised that sound- Tailgate had made the very same one before Airachnid..._'Don't think about it, Arcee.' _Now was no time to start relapsing. There was a dying ex-Con on the floor, and he was slipping away with every passing second. Arcee couldn't come to call Starscream a mortal enemy- she saved that title for the spider. But he was certainly one of her least favourite beings in the universe. She had a standard field med-kit that was issued to all Autobots, but did she have the will to help the enemy? She could just leave Star there to slowly waste away, Optimus would never have to know...

Her leader's countless speeches of equality among species and helping all sentient beings suddenly burst forth in Arcee's processor. She regarded the Prime as more than just a commander, ever since she joined the Autobot army he had been a -what did the humans call them? A father to her. And she couldn't let him down.

"What _are_ you doing, Autobot?" Starscream asked as Arcee reached for the med-kit housed in her side plating. Obviously the Seeker had never heard of a bot helping another out of the goodness of their spark.

"I know what a dying bot looks like, Starscream. And unlike 'Cons, Autobots actually care about what happens to their own kind, regardless of alignment." There were more reasons, but by now Arcee sincerely doubted that they would have any effect on Star.

"Outer damage seems heavy, but not fatal," she commented while sorting out the supplies she'd need and surveying the injuries. At least, she tried to while Starscream constantly fidgeted and shied away from her. "Hold still! You're just making more energon leak out ," she berated him, taking a roll of electric tape between her dental plates and biting strips off. The tape would seal the fractures in the energon lines and stop bleeding, as well as prevent rusting. Starscream would need proper welding to close the deeper cuts completely. As she finished taping up the lines, Arcee glanced up at Starscream's face and was shocked by the drastic change. His optics had dulled from sharp crimson to a diluted burgundy. The pupils were tiny and unfocused, lids drooping heavily.

Spark fluttering in panic, Arcee shook Starscream to keep him awake, eventually resorting to backhanding him several times. "Look Starscream, I don't like you and you sure as Pit don't like me, but you are _not _going to die on me. You hear?" Arcee said sternly, as if she could scare off the threat of death. She couldn't have another bot die on her though, enemy or not. She wouldn't allow it.

"Well unless you have a fully equipped medbay in that little _kit_ of yours, then I'll be meeting Unicron soon. Those Insecticons, they carry a poison which in high doses is deadly to Cybertronians. I got a full hit of the stuff," Starscream replied apathetically. He was too tired to care about his demise, or his survival. Sick of running away from everything and having every plan and scheme of his ultimately fail. Even the curious nature of his CPU glitch wasn't enough to warrant an effort to live. He groaned and pried his optics open again, to find Arcee tapping frantically at her comm unit.

"Come on, work you piece of scrap!" she hissed at the device, which wasn't registering the usual Autobot communication line. If she could get to Ratchet, he might know what to do. Calling for a Ground Bridge was out of the question though: hauling a bot in Starscream's state through a controlled fracture in the fabric of space could do even more irreparable damage.

"In case you didn't realise it," Starscream spoke up, even in his deathly state not being able to resist a chance at belittling a 'Bot, "the entire ship is surrounded by a technology dampening field. It severely limits all tech that is not physically joined to the ship itself." He had realised it when he noticed how little damage his rockets where doing to the Insecticon after him; they were primitive enough to still work within the field, but not effectively.

Arcee growled in frustration and planted a fist in the wall, barely denting the thick metal. There wasn't enough time to drag him outside of the field, and the movement would only make the poison work faster. That left only one other option.

"So I just need to purge a lethal poison with little medical knowledge and only basic equipment?" she asked sarcastically. That got a grimace out of Starscream.

"Not exactly. I gained a significant amount of medical expertise when I was training to be a scientist." This gave Arcee some sense of relief.

"Any idea where to start?"

xx

Starscream felt the burning pain fade as his infected energon lines were blocked off by the surgical clips Arcee had scavenged from her med kit. He was surprised by how gentle the femme's touch was: he was so used to the rough handling of Knock Out's procedures.

"How d'you feel?" Arcee asked him.

"Like a doused fire," he replied as a pleasant numbness took over, distracting him from the queasiness that was still present. " Now for the tricky part - you need to cut the infected lines and drain the poison out. It'll hurt like the Pit, but keep going until as much as possible is out." Arcee nodded, and braced herself for screams of pain as she brought a scalpel to one of the tubes.

Starscream only winced and quickly cycled air as a blue liquid spotted with thick blobs of purple filled up a beaker placed under the dripping line. He was built to withstand severe punishment thanks to Megatron's routine beatings, but he'd never suffered anything like this, a constant stinging in his very frame.

Soon he felt almost unbearably light-headed as more of his lifeblood leaked out, and his helm tipped to the side. Arcee noticed, and cut off the drainage. "You look like you're about to offline. Just as well most of the poison's out." Arcee sealed the contaminated beakers and set about re-attaching the empty energon lines as best as she could. The slight prickles of the lines being welded back together was all that kept him conscious.

When the lines were mended, Arcee flopped down the wall opposite Starscream, exhausted by the pressure of keeping someone alive. "Quick rest. Then I'm taking you outside and calling a Ground Bridge. Only Ratchet will be able to completely heal you, so don't even think of attacking," she warned, positioning her servo so she'd know if he made any sudden movements. She wasn't sure what the rest of the team would think of harbouring an injured rogue, never mind an ex-Con and murderer. But she couldn't leave him wandering the Earth and causing even more trouble._ 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,' _Arcee remembered the old human saying, while Starscream only grunted in acknowledgement and barely heard her words as he fell into recharge.


	4. Chapter 4

**Memory Sequence 02 initialising...**

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_Starscream still couldn't believe he had got out of the mass of brawling bots alive. Shortly after Megatronus' speech the crowd of mechs found themselves full of direction-less fury. Which was soon directed towards anyone in their way._

_Knock Out dragged Starscream by the servo towards a hidden flap at the once-again vacated stage area. He was sure he felt someone's severed hand bang against against his helm as he was pulled through the door._

_"Knew that would happen..." Knock Out muttered as he led Starscream down a shadowy corridor. When they emerged on the other side, there was what looked like a simple base set up within the recesses of the warehouse. There was a much smaller collection of bots here, most of which called warm greetings to Knock Out as he threaded his way across the room._

_They seemed to ignore the mech that accompanied him._

_"This is Decepticon Base Delta," Knock Out explained to a bewildered Starscream. "Most new recruits get inducted here. Megatron should be arriving momentarily." Knock Out must know the gladiator well to be naming him in short-hand, Starscream noticed._

_"And you're sure he won't try to kill me for being of high caste?" he asked sarcastically, servos folded over. "Of course not, Starscream. It's only the conceited ones he really hates," Knock Out replied passively. He wasn't very good at reassurance._

_Before Starscream could reply to Knock Out's indifference, another chorus of praises started up as an intimidating figure approached the mech duo._

_"An inspirational rally as always, Lord Megatron. You had them eating out of your hand!" Knock Out vented as the warrior stopped in front him, switching from his usual vain and uncaring stance to the perfect sycophant before Starscream could bat an optic._

_'Lord Megatron?' He mulled over such an audacious self-given title. Only those on the Iacon Council were designated lords, and that was one of the lesser political ranks. Still, Starscream remembered how the gladiator had acted when he and Orion Pax- now Optimus Prime- had addressed the council and presented their arguments over the caste system and unfair treatment of 'lower' beings. It was all over the news and was still discussed all over the planet; how Megatron had demanded that he be made Prime, and had stormed out when Orion had made his proposal for a better Cybertron. It was then that the rumours of the Decepticons had started to arise, Megatron's own personal army. At first, Starscream hadn't believed a word of it, but...well, here he was._

_"I assume this is the scientist you informed me of, Knock Out?" Megatron asked, gesturing to a nervous Starscream._

_"Crystal City's finest!" the red mech boasted, as if describing himself. "Fresh from the Academy and currently working for the city laboratories." Starscream felt his wires spark at his personal information being divulged, however mundane the details were._

_"Indeed. You may go about your usual business now," Megatron casually dismissed Knock Out. Starscream was surprised, in all the time he'd known the mech he'd never seen him so easily commanded. The Mentors at Helix Academy always commented on how unruly and rebellious he was._

_"We are in need of your expertise, Starscream," Megatron stated, servos clasped behind his back and bearing a sharp grin. "No doubt you know of my Decepticons, and our campaign against the Iacon Council. We are strong in numbers, but it shall still be some time before we can properly act against the council's tyranny." So it was all true. A planned coup- possibly even a full scale revolution. The corruption within the Cybertron government was no great secret, which made bots even angrier that it existed. There was hardly a scrap of equality and fairness among the ranks, you either bribed your way up the political ladder or got rid of anyone above you for a chance to take their place. There was no democracy, it was a pure game of elimination. _

_But then a young mech with a 'new' vision saunters in, and they gift to him the Matrix of Leadership! No wonder Megatron was so bitter about it. Both him and Orion shared the very same ideal and goal, and yet those who so blatantly lie and murder in the open chose to better their planet through Orion's fantasy of peace? At least Megatron harboured no illusions, he knew what had to be done to cleanse Cybertron. But it was the one thing that the barons and lords and their masters couldn't face._

_"Word has it that you have been developing various theories of yours, some which may prove valuable to our cause," Megatron continued, snapping Starscream out of his thoughts. By this point he wasn't surprised that Megatron knew of his private work, someone around here had done their fair share of research and sneaking._

_"While I have been working on my own projects, Megatro-"_

_"Please, call me Megatron. I despise that gladiator pseudonym."_

_"Of course, Megatron. While I have been working on several projects, they are still mainly theories that would need to be adapted for practical development, and then somehow brought to creation," Starscream replied, struggling to keep his composure in the presence of such a mighty mech._

_"I'm sure a bot of your intelligence would find a way around that," Megatron said coolly, whom Starscream had only just realised had been walking down a hall lined with red cobalt walls, gaps giving way to show humming generators, whirring fans and pipes of glowing fuel within the walls. _

_"What intrigued me most was your notions of adaptation and organic studies. Even one of those advantages would certainly tip the power scale into our favour." Starscream knew fully of what Megatron was hoping to achieve. His research on the various organic species that resided in the Cybertron wildernesses had shown that the Cybetronians were not so much the ultimate life-form as they so liked to think themselves as. In body and sentient mind, they were far superior than the organics, but the problem with the Cybertronian biology was that it was rigid- it wasn't flexible. There were various mammalian species on neighbouring planets that could shed and regrow their body cover to suit the weather, and other creatures that could induce a hibernation period should the living conditions prove too tough to survive. The one thing that the Cybertronians lacked- evolution. The only thing that was anything like it in the Cybertron culture was each generation of new sparklings from the Well of All Sparks being slightly modified in shape and ability from their predecessors, but it was hardly a leap in progress. _

_Coupled with the fact that the Well had malfunctioned ultimately stopped producing new sparks altogether stellar cycles ago, it seemed that all Cybertronian advancement had reached a standstill. The population was receding everyday and if a war was to break out, then the death toll would have a massive impact on numbers as well. The organics, of course, had their own way of combating extinction Reproduction. The creation of new life within themselves and not relying on an ancient and since broken machine to produce their workers. It had all come back to those bags of meat, the dumb organics who dragged themselves through dirt everyday, no order or society. Just pure survival. And yet, a single female could create in a mere nine months what Cybertron scientists had been trying to craft for decades. Such a contrast, it had actually infuriated Starscream when he first realised it. But it was true, they were the inferior dying race. Evolution was not a possibility, nor procreation or even artificial lifeforms. But if someone could bridge the gap between cyber and organ, if someone could fuse the two together...Starscream didn't dare to think that it was actually possible, let alone if he alone could make it happen. But it was a theory that he kept coming back to regardless of its abstract nature._

_"If you can make these theories reality, I will personally pay you with 10,000 credits, as well as a valuable place within the Decepticons." Starscream didn't realise that Megatron was still talking as he mulled over his ideas for the millionth time. But the mention of credits- the official Cybertronian currency- was enough to snap any bot out of a daze._

_"T-ten thousand?" he whispered in disbelief._

_"If you get it done quickly, I may reward you even more," Megatron added as a door before him automatically opened, revealing an elegant yet practical laboratory, more advanced than anything Starscream had used._

_"You'd have full access to this lab and its resources, a limitless number of assistants and a generous daily energon ration." It was painfully obvious that Megatron was bribing him, but currently Starscream didn't give a frag._

_When he'd recovered from the shock, Starscream asked, "It truly is a wonderful offer, Megatron. I feel that such an opportunity would require consideration, if you'd allow it?"_

_"Of course, Starscream," Megatron chuckled almost victoriously. "Return with your answer within the week." He waved his servo to summon Knock Out again, to escort Starscream out. While leaving, he failed to notice Megatron's mute companion emerging from a shadowy corner._

_"Soundwave," Megatron greeted him when they were alone. "I trust you will keep a close eye on our new recruit?" Soundwave nodded, releasing his resident drone Laserbeak from his chest cavity. The mech's Deployer zoomed out of an upward opening and trailed across the now star-studded black sky, following an oblivious Starscream from above._

_xx_

_"Lord Megatron," Knock Out addressed his master as he entered the Alpha Decepticon base, located at the very centre of Kaon. "You seemed confident that Starscream would accept your offer."_

_"It's no secret that the scientists are greatly underestimated," Megatron replied, facing a bank of screens and keypads. "Most think they only exist to take up space and convert our energon. But this Starscream...he has an extraordinary mind. Most mechs are too simple to even imagine such ideas."_

_"If you'll allow me, Lord Megatron, if he ever does manage the task you set him, what do you intend to use it for?" Knock Out asked curiously, sidling over to the nearest screen._

_"The Autobots may be ignorant, but they're not stupid" Megatron said with a hint of envy. "They can spot the average Decepticon a cerse away. Adaptive camouflage though, the concept of scanning an environment's lifeforms and taking guise as them, a system that many non-techno organisms have already perfected.. And would do well for our Decepticon spies."_

_Knock Out didn't exactly understand all of it, but nodded with well-rehearsed enthusiasm nonetheless. "Sounds like the Autobots won't know what hit them. And what of the...organic...thingy."_

_"Organic reproduction" Megatron corrected him with a condescending look. " You've seen the other lifeforms out there, deprived of the wonders of a metal body. But one thing they have done right is multiplication. There's a reason there are so many Scraplet infestations every year, Knock Out." He turned on his ped to face the mech. "Because they breed! Leave two for a while and suddenly there's ten. That is the main difference between Cybertronians and organics. The Well of All Sparks has since ceased production of new sparks, and our numbers have dropped rapidly. Now it's a veritable race to convert the ones left alive to our cause before the Autobots get their hands on them."_

_"But that won't be a problem if Starscream creates reproduction within our species?" Knock Out suggested, like a student answering a teacher's question. While Cybertronians did have 'male and female' designated sexual organs, they served no purpose other as a source of pleasure between two bots- there was even a (less than legal) industry built from sexual liaisons within the lower castes of Cybertron. Most bots didn't partake in an act they saw as purposeless other than for self-gratification, though some couples did out of curiosity. It was believed that Primus had based the Cybertronian form on lifeforms from other planets that he observed, but as he studied these creatures separately, he had never known them to be capable of reproducing and so crafted the Cybertronians without the cells needed for procreation._

_"Precisely! If we can provide our own soldiers, we can overpower the Autobots by sheer numbers!" Megatron laughed, the evil sound reverberating off the walls and all through the base._

_"I must say, Lord Megatron, while the idea of combining organic and techno matter is an ingenious notion, it doesn't seem very plausible," Knock Out admitted, slightly raising his servos to protect his helm should Megatron retaliate, as he usually did._

_"You'd think so, Knock Out," Megatron replied confidently. "But recently I discovered living proof of such a thing occurring." Knock Out ooohed in interest. "You should have seen the poor thing, left in the Cybertron wilderness to ro-"_

"Spark-rate, stable. Energon levels increasing. All lacerations closed and cleaned."

Starscream's optics blinked furiously at the sudden beam of light showering on him. When he'd gotten used to the glare, he saw the tired face of Ratchet staring back.


	5. Chapter 5

_Note: I've set this chapter during Hurt, hopefully I'll be able to tie in more of the Iacon Relic arc into this._

_xx_

**Chapter 3; Integrate**

The medic had only just gotten Bulkhead stabilised when Arcee had called for a Ground Bridge, an urgent tone in her voice. Bumblebee had been trying to comm her for the past hour, but to no avail. His door wings fluttered in a mixture of relief and anxiety.

"Where's Optimus?" she asked frantically.

"Still in the Antarctic, I suspect," Ratchet replied. He relayed out Bulkhead's situation to her, prompting a tired sigh from the femme. "Well, hope you've got another berth available-"  
"What, why?" Ratchet asked frantically, optics wide.

"I can't say right now, just...open up the Bridge. Please. And make sure that the children are out of sight," she added, making Ratchet even more suspicious. Luckily Raf and Jack were at the other side of the base, Miko was at home and Agent Fowler had went out for donuts.

As soon as the Bridge was deployed, the sound of ragged breathing and a slight scraping of metal on metal rang against the bot's audio receptors as Arcee walked in with an unconscious Starscream draped over her back, his legs dragging on the floor. Ratchet's faceplate instantly changed to an expression of confused outrage, and Bumblebee chirped in panic as the mech who was responsible for the loss of his T-Cog came into clearer view.

"Arcee, what is the meaning of th-?!"

"I'll explain later, but first you need to see to him," Arcee cut in, moving her shoulders to realign Starscream's position more comfortably. Ratchet barked a humourless laugh.  
"I may have fixed up Starscream once before, but that was a matter of life and death, nothing more than a barter for information. I've already got Bulkhead in an induced stasis and Primus knows what will happen to Wheeljack when he returns."  
"Well then you'll be glad to know that I've done all the hard work for you," Arcee retorted coldly, not waiting for permission before lugging Starscream over to the enclosed section of the med-bay which housed rows of surgical berths, and dropping him onto one. Bulkhead had been placed farther down the row, hooked up to spark monitors and energon drips.

"Arcee, you're being stubborn. This doesn't make sense. Why did you bring Starscream here? There's nothing he can provide to us in full health," Ratchet tried to reason as he caught up with the femme, Bumblebee trailing behind him.

"Primus dammit, Ratchet!" Arcee suddenly exploded, causing the medic to shrink back from her icy optics. "Have you ever thought that maybe we don't have to always do things to better ourselves? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, I want to go _one _day without having someone die or maimed or..." she couldn't get any more words past her vocals, shaking her helm in frustration. Bumblebee moved closer cautiously, but Arcee was already racing out of the med-bay and to her quarters. The yellow mech beeped worriedly, casting a glance at the still form of Starscream.

"Give her some time alone, Bumblebee," Ratchet said, placing a hand on his helm to sate his throbbing mind. "Whatever's gotten into her, she'll tell us when she's ready. Until then..." The medic trailed off as he appraised Starscream's battered form, scored with solder marks and scars. Arcee had done what she could to patch him up before bringing him here, for whatever reason. Ratchet was probably most acquainted with Arcee's outbursts, which were frequent when she was but a young soldier of the Iacon army, before the Autobots were even formed. Tailgate's death was thought to be the trigger for it all, the two bots friendship was akin to that of split spark twins, and it had taken years for Arcee to even resemble her former self. Then with Cliffjumper's recent demise, Ratchet didn't blame her for her rage. But Starscream was the one who offlined Cliff in the first place- was Arcee overcoming her insatiable desire for revenge?

That was a thought for another day. Right now Ratchet had a whole new problem to deal with, one that was barely breathing. Sighing, he prepared his surgical tools and sent Bee to fetch another energon drip. This was becoming a very long day.

xx

"Speak of Unicron and he shall come..." Ratchet murmured as Starscream's optics brightened and his systems came online. His chassis was scarred with scratches and the tell-tale white lines of sealed cracks, which would eventually fade thanks to Starscream's auto-repair. He groaned as the effects of anaesthetic wore away and everywhere ached. He felt like he'd just done a number with Breakdown.

"Don't try breaking the restraints," Ratchet warned rather passively. "You'd be gunned down before you reached the Ground Bridge controls."

"You certainly know how to make a patient feel right at home, doc," Starscream sighed, once again at the mercy of the enemy.

"Just count yourself lucky that it wasn't the 'Cons that picked you up. Somehow I doubt you'd be able to worm your way back into Megatron's fold so easily this time."

"I'll have you know that I earned the position of Second In Command fair and square!" Starscream protested, swivelling his head around.

"Considering what 'Cons accept as 'fair', I wouldn't call that an achievement," Ratchet replied in less than a spark beat, almost enjoying winding up Starscream's diodes. The mech only growled in disdain as Ratchet looked over screens displaying various pieces of medical data.

"You've been out for at least four Earth hours, not that I expect that to mean anything to you. No permanent damage, though the scars will last for quite a while," Ratchet relayed back to Starscream, clicking off the screen and making for the med-bay door. "Usually I'd trust the restraints to be enough to deter you from escaping, but seeing as it's you," a whole set of new jagged locks sprang from the berth and trapped Starscream's limbs, "I'm liable to take extra precautions." Starscream swore that he saw the medic smirk before he departed.

xx

Ratchet found Arcee in one of the less traversed hallways of the base, leaned against the wall with her knees brought up to her chest. As he approached, she didn't seem to register his presence.

"Starscream is in induced stasis, and I've informed Optimus of his residence. He has agreed to healing him back to full health, but until we know what to do with him he shall be treated as a prisoner of war," he recited to the femme, who stayed silent. "And...I just want to say that I'm...sorry, for acting so selfish," he started rather awkwardly, eliciting a sigh from Arcee.

"I'm the one who should be apologising. I shouldn't have just dumped him on you like that. I was just so angry, I didn't even give you an explanation," She studied the floor as Ratchet sat next to her, turning her helm away so that he couldn't see the trails of coolant leaking down her faceplate.

"You don't need to explain wanting to save someone."

"But in this case, I do," Arcee countered, furiously wiping her faceplate dry. "I've never really talked about Cybertron, have I? My sparkling-hood, growing up. Do you remember when you came out of the Well Of All Sparks, Ratchet?" she asked, to which the medic shook his helm. "I do. I remember every detail. It was like wandering an endless maze, but with no walls. Just pure white everywhere. And it was so bright...looking back, it seemed like a purgatory. Some of the sparks I saw in there never got out. They were doomed and lost souls, never to truly live. In there, you didn't make friends. The only goal was to get out.

But one spark had it all figured out. He realised that the only sure way to leave the Well was with teamwork. He had already assembled his own trio, and out of all the other lonely sparks there, he picked me as his fourth. All of a sudden, I wasn't scared of the light anymore. I had someone to guide me, help me. Someone I could call a friend.

When we got to the other side, all the guardian bots were cheering. I didn't really know why; whether it was because we got out together or at all. Or maybe they had seen a change in the usual system, four sparks instead of one emerging together. Maybe they saw it as a signal, that bigger change was on the horizon," Arcee clenched her optics together. "When they settled down, we all received our designations and protoforms. Wanna take a guess at who the other spark was?" Ratchet was glad to see a small smile appearing on Arcee's faceplate.  
"Would it happen to be our screaming star?" That got a chuckle out of the femme, and even Ratchet found himself grinning. Very rarely had he seen Arcee so relaxed and...happy. Everything she had just told him, it must have been bottled up for years. Ratchet couldn't imagine how it must have felt to finally let it all out. Maybe now Arcee could properly begin rebuilding herself.

"But then of course he went off with the Decepticons," Arcee continued when she has composed herself, the smile faltering. _'Well, so much for that hope.' "_It was after we graduated from Helix Academy, I hardly saw Star during my soldier training. During my first Decepticon battle, I saw Starscream at Megatron's side. I couldn't believe he was the same mech I'd known almost all my life but...there he was. All around him were slaughtered bots. And he was laughing." Subconsciously Ratchet placed a comforting hand on Arcee's shoulder-plate as more coolant dripped from her optics. "Megatron changed him- warped him inside. He had always been sneaky and cocky but never like that...that _monster _I saw on the battlefield." _'Back to square one,' _Ratchet thought as Arcee retreated back into her shell. _'But progress is progress, no matter how little.'_

"What of the other two sparks, the first ones that Starscream paired with?"  
"They were Skywarp and Thundercracker. Between them and Star was a bond like I'd never seen before. I don't know if Thunder or Sky joined the 'Cons, but they were of Seeker build at least. For all I know, they could have been one of the first Seeker trines on Cybertron." It was a time before the war when the Well had started producing more abnormal body sets and other traits. Some were tall and winged like Starscream, almost always found in groups of threes or 'trines', and they were recruited by the Decepticons as Seekers. Others, like Bulkhead, could be crafted large or small or wide and anything in between. The reason why the Well had just started producing such bots was still a mystery. "I was close with them too. Not as close as I was with Starscream, but still friends. I lost contact with them completely after graduation though. I was losing a lot back then." Arcee sank lower to the ground, servos wrapped around her knees. It looked like she was going to fall asleep there and then.

"Go get some rest, Arcee. And that's an order," Ratchet commanded, adding a warning when the femme looked like she'd demand to stay.

Before she started to drag herself to her quarters, she remembered something else that she picked up at the Harbinger.

"Oh, one more thing, Ratchet. I found this in the Harbinger laboratory," she said, holding out a slightly battered T-Cog. "I think Starscream was preparing to transplant it into himself, I don't know if you'll want it for anything..." The medic smiled and took the T-Cog from the femme.

"I'm sure I'll find a use for it," he replied as Arcee left the isolated corridor. The talk with her medic had emotionally exhausted her, and she fell into recharge as soon as she placed her helm on her berth.


	6. Chapter 6

**Memory Sequence 03 initialising...**

**/searching for new models**

**/programming new models**

**Loading complete**

**.**

_Starscream had always considered the shining apartments of his home city a safe haven, where he could escape to a world of his own and get away from his troubles. But now, his frame was trembling as he stood vigil-like in front of the door that concealed his sanctuary. They'd be wondering where he went, and as always they'd squeeze the truth out of him. And they wouldn't be happy._

_Ventilating deeply, Starscream tapped in the security code on the door's adjacent keypad and braced himself for interrogation._

_"You're quite late tonight, Starscream," Thundercracker stated accusingly, blocking the doorway._

_"Overtime at the lab," Starscream muttered nonchalantly, avoiding his friend's piercing yellow glare as he pushed his way inside._

_"Funny," he said in a tone that indicated there was nothing at all amusing about it. "Skywarp spent the last few groons working non-stop and he didn't see you anywhere."_

_"Uh, speaking of Skywarp, where is our resident warrior?" Starscream asked, eager to change the subject. Skywarp worked part-time at the lab at Starscream's insistence. When he wasn't hauling chems and experiments about, he spent the rest of his time at the Gladiator Arenas._

_"Recharging, after he finally finished setting up those experiments _you_ promised to help him with. Or where you too busy assorting with that piece of slag Knock Out?" The mech's voice barely concealed the fury practically radiating from him._

_"You were _spying _on me?!" Starscream shrieked, now reflecting Thundercracker's accusatory attitude. "How...y-you had no right to-"  
"Oh, on the contrary. I think I had _every _right to keep an optic on you," TC interrupted, advancing on Starscream. " When you were doing your little disappearing tricks, I didn't ask you about them. I didn't think anything of it, because I trusted you. But then I see you with Sir Vanity Fair himself, and I'm liable to feel a _little _betrayed." Knock Out had been a constant source of suffering all throughout the trine's training years- he picked on every bot that he deemed inferior to him, but Thundercracker was a favourite target of his. The blue mech still bore the scars from their sparkling scuffles. _

_"I was hardly given a choice, Thunder!" Starscream hissed back, optics blazing in the low light. "The wretched thing practically dragged me away into that alleyway, and what else could I do but listen to what he had to tell me?"_

_"And just what was this important matter that he had to discuss with solely you?" TC practically yelled, angrier than he ever had been before with his friend._

_Sighing, Starscream sat himself down before launching into an explanation that he hoped wouldn't make Thunder detest him more than he already did. "He said that he had a job for me. Or rather, his _boss_ did. All he said about it was that it paid well."_

_"And you went along with him, no questions asked?!" TC said incredulously, shaking his helm. "Primus dammit, Scream, for all your smarts you really can be stupid sometimes. How d'you know they weren't going to kidnap or enslave you, or worse!"_

_"Alright, alright, that was foolish of me, I don't need a lecture about it. But the fact is that I'm still alive and well, so if they _were _planning to take-"  
"They?" TC interrupted again, servos crossed again in silent loathing._

_"The...um...potential employers," Starscream murmured in reply, finishing his last word 'the Decepticons' with a fake cough. But Thundecracker had caught every word and his optics flexed in size at the shock of the revelation._

_"What?! How, what..." he cut himself off with a groan, holding a hand to the top of his helm. "Primus, Starscream, do you have any idea what you could have gotten us into?! We'll have the whole Iacon Army in our living room by morning!"_

_"Don't get your cogs in a tangle, the army never patrol near Kaon-"  
"YOU EVEN WENT TO THE FRAGGING CAPITAL?!"_

_"Guys, will you keep it down?" a voice sounded from another room, groggy and slurred. "Not all of us get to recharge until daybreak." _

_'Now see what you've done!' Starscream hissed as Skywarp started making those infernal noises of sleep through his mouth, like human snoring._

_"Well excuse me for not wanting to get us all melted into scrap!" Thundercracker retorted, making for his berth room. "Don't think this is over, Starscream," he said as he ducked behind the doorframe. Sighing, Starscream slumped into own room and laid on the berth, succumbing to recharge as outside, the setting Cybertron sun illuminated a bird-like drone hovering idly with its last rays._

_xx_

_"And you're sure she won't attack, Lord Megatron?" Knock Out asked nervously as they traversed the hidden tunnels beneath the main Decepticon Base. The bowels of Cybertron had a number of large tunnels beneath it from mining activity, and Megatron had discovered this set when he was expanding his original base. They housed all manner of not-entirely-legal operations, from high-grade manufacturing to prisoner torture chambers._

_"You worry too much, Knock Out. She's being kept in our most advanced holding cell," the Decepticon leader replied dismissively. The duo approached two eerily faceless bots, which Megatron had dubbed 'Eradicons'. They saluted their master as he passed by them, and opened the door to the Prisoner Cells. There were many rows of standard cages, most full of suspected Autobots, traitors and bots that just annoyed Megatron. Further down the rows was a large cell that until now, had never been used. But now the whole area was criss-crossed with a strange white substance, and tiny holes melted with acid dotted the floor. Knock Out let out a whimper of revulsion, and it took great control not to purge._

_"Settling in, dearie?" Megatron asked with mock-kindness. What at first looked like a shapeless shadow now twitched in response at the centre of the prison. "Not very talkative are you? Knock Out, pull that lever on the opposite wall." The red mech obeyed, and a horrific shriek filled the entire complex as a bolt of electricity flew through the cage. The shape convulsed as its circuits were burned and plating scorched. Megatron laughed with hideous cruelty, and only motioned for the electricity to be shut off after there was no response from the thing._

_"Lord Megatron, shouldn't we reserve more care for this bot? You yourself said she was a rare specimen, invaluable to our cause," Knock Out pointed out, uncomfortable with treating this unknown creature with such barbarity._

_"Perhaps, Knock Out. But for anything to be of Decepticon value, it must first be disciplined. She almost killed the Eradicons that brought her in, screaming all manner of profanities no sparkling should ever kn-"_

_"A SPARKLING?" The outburst came out on its own accord, leaving Knock Out shocked and embarrassed at his lack of self control. He feverishly searched his CPU for a way to answer for his emotional explosion, with Megatron's crimson optics boring into him. "Apologies, Lord Megatron. It's just...I've never heard of any sparklings being produced recently, what with the Well malfunctions." The answer seemed to satisfy the mech, and Knock Out felt immensely relieved. He'd tortured and killed his share of mechs, and relished every moment of it, but...sparklings? It was out of the question, an unforgivable moral crime by his standards. The mech couldn't suppress a guilty frown spreading across his faceplate, and was thankful Megatron couldn't see it._

_"Yes, it is a very strange occcurrence. However, I believe I've formulated an explanation for her creation." The female bot was twitching and making a barely audible whimpering sound. "Judging from her size and behaviour, I'd say the little minx was created two stellar cycles ago. But not as a usual bot. As you know, she has an extraordinary structure. Two forms, additional appendages, not to mention these bio-materials she produces. In fact, I've only seen this happening in the likes of Insecticons."_

_"You think she's related to our organic cousins?" Knock Out inquired, slowly recovering from his internal moral crisis._

_"Closely so. The only question is, how?" Megatron released a knowing laugh. "You know of Jhiaxus? The scientist that introduced the 'femme virus' into the Well?" Knock Out nodded. "Well, it seems that's not the only act of playing Primus he's done. I retrieved some classified information from the Iacon Records, courtesy of that petulant Optimus Prime, and discovered something exceptionally interesting: Details of another virus Jhiaxus created. Our friend Starscream was not the first to suggest organic reproduction in our species..." Megatron paused for thought, pacing the horizontal length of the Prisoner Cells. "The other Jhiaxus virus was similar to the one that made bots femmes, however there was a drastically reduced success rate. Only 1 in 100 Cybertronians would be receptive to it. The virus was near-impossible to detect, due to it not registering in any protoform scans or examinations of the infected."_

_"A-and what did this new virus do, Lord Megatron?" Knock Out asked, unnaturally eager to have his leader's shared knowledge._

_"It enabled the production of gametes, sexual cells within the bots body. Remarkably simple, yet revolutionary."_

_"So how would this affect the sparkling?" Knock Out inquired, a servo lazily motioning to the black creature trying to stand but ultimately failing._

_"I believe this sparkling was birthed, not created. And that the 'mother' was infected with the virus. As for the father...do you recall the scout ship sent into the Cybertron Wilderness that didn't return?" Once again, Knock Out nodded like the sycophant he was. _

_"Recently the wreck was discovered deep within Insecticon territory," the red mech recited from the reports he had seen on the ship finding. " All but one of the crew members corpses found on board. The one missing was-"_

_"A femme. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." Megatron returned to the front of the tortured femme's prison. "This sparkling is the result of an Insecticon's atrocity and Cybertronian femme's stupidity. However, she is also the key to the survival of our species." The Decepticon leader began to walk away, followed by his pet Knock Out. From behind, a techno-organic abomination's bug-like poison optics burned holes through his armour._

_xx_

_Tip: This new character is not an OC. She's an official TFP character (don't know how some people think she's a human, guess I'm just not good at explaining things in-story XD) which I think deserves a lot more love than she usually gets from the fandom. All will be revealed soon to those who haven't guessed it yet!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 4; Confide**

Unlike his past recharges, Starscream wasn't aruptly torn from his subconscious thoughts by interruptions from the outside world. Instead, he pleasantly drifted into an online state as his systems awoke. The Seeker didn't even remember going into recharge, which was an odd occurance. He must have been given some form of sedative and he never noticed.

Starscream tried to lift a heavy servo, and was met with resistence from a lock around his wrists. A calm-as-ever Ratchet came into view, gazing intently at a small screen in his hands as Starscream tried to work feeling back into his limbs.

The medic had been working nearly non-stop for the past two days. What with keeping Starscream's residence from the humans and monitoring Bulkhead, the workload took its toll on the old bot. Fortunately, Starscream wasn't nearly as high maintenance as Bulkhead and only needed some time in recharge to heal fully. Though Ratchet had noticed strange sounds coming from Starscream in those private moments of sleep. Sounds that were certainly not reassuring of a quick recovery.

"Lacerations have healed, no infection, vitals returning to normal. Your limbs will be stiff from lack of use." Ratchet finished assessing the screen and turned to face Starscream. Even with the mech's past allegiances, the medic forced himself to treat Starscream as he would any other patient. Besides, Arcee's revelation just a few days ago had somewhat taken the customary edge off of him. As for Optimus, Ratchet didn't know what his leader planned to do with the Seeker, but he would respect his choice whatever it may be.

"No use having you berthridden any longer," Ratchet said, releasing the restraints. Starscream had to stop himself from springing up as soon as he was free, instead slowly rising and flexing his wires. He saw that his rockets were removed, and his fingers filed down to a rounded point. At least these Autobots weren't as stupid in the precautionary department.

"When you feel ready, stand up," Ratchet ordered his patient. It still felt strange referring to Starscream not as enemy, but a bot in need of help, like Arcee had when she had brought him in. He didn't doubt that Bulkhead would be furious to see what else was occupying the med-bay when he awoke, though. Bumblebee, understandably, had his own doubts about the Seeker that he mostly kept to himself. The humans were kept in the dark, primarily for their own safety but also to keep Miko from being to inquisitive around such a dangerous bot.

_"Why's Ratchet spending all his time in that med room? What's so important that it needs all his attention? Oh, oh, oh! I bet it's a new weapon that'll kick the Decepticreeps tail-ends!" _Ratchet thought back to all the young human's wild speculation as Starscream tentatively put pressure on his peds. He wobbled slightly, placing a servo on the operating table behind him for support. One step, two steps, eventually Starscream was walking back and forth with no trouble. The mech answered no when asked about feeling any pain or discomfort.

"Nothing out of place or abnormal?" Ratchet also asked, to which Starscream hesitated in answering.

"Nope, not at all," he lied, rather unconvincingly from the withering look that the medic gave him.

"Hmm, strange. Perhaps your night terrors are just reflex a-"  
"What, night terrors?" Starscream interrupted, his faceplates twisting in panic. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just strange noises and movements coming from you during recharge," Ratcht replied casually, his back turned to his patient as he expressed great interest in the screen in front of him. The cyan backlight illuminated the knowing smirk on his mouthplate.

"Y-you've been spying on me while I was asleep?!" Starscream shrieked in disbelief, long legs curling up to his chest as if trying to cover himself. He'd never felt so violated in his life, recharge was a precious time of escape and solace for the abused Seeker. To have someone- an _Autobot _no less- intrude on that brief sanctuary...

"It's my duty as a medical professional to monitor my _patients _24/7. You should know all about that, considering you worked in a lab-"  
"WHAT?! How-how do you know about that!? What have I been saying?!" Starscream practically broke the sound barrier from how high his voice was going, optics wide and frantically darting everywhere. Ratchet allowed the smirk to appear as he faced Starscream.

"Well, the sounds you made _could _loosely be translated into coherent words."

"Slag," Starscream spat out, his shoulders bunched aggresively as he sat on the edge of the berth. "How do I know you're not invading my mind, or using Cortical Psychic Patches or some kind of new Autobot technology on me?" It was a long shot, but Starscream refused to belief that he'd so willingly blurt out potentially important information like that- even in a state as foggy and incomprehensible as recharge.

"Really, Starscream, if that was the case I don't think we'd _tell _you about it," Ratchet answered, arms crossed in a challenge. So that was it, then. No hidden tricks, no verbal ambushes or mental traps. These Autobots really were simple.

"Very well then..." Starscream concluded resignedly. "What of these 'night terrors' of mines?" Ratchet shrugged before he replied. "A suspicion that you may know the cause of them, and that you're deliberately hiding it. This wouldn't be the first time in my career that it has happened." Now Starscream really had to consider his next words. He was pensive about sharing the glitches- he was sure they weren't memories, as he was shown scenes which he wasn't even present in- because in doing so, he would reveal a potential weakness to an unconfirmed enemy. But if he did admit to the CPU lapses, perhaps Ratchet, being the- regretfully admitted- skilled physician he was, could make sense of it all. As if he had a choice either way.

"Well, now thar you mention it, there _has _been a strange occurance, ever since the Insecticon attack," Starscream began, finding the words to explain his problem. "I've been having these CPU glitches. Like a hybrid of dreams and memories, except I have no prior recollection of any of it." Ratchet looked intrigued by this new piece of information, which he entered into his logs for future reference.

"I've never heard of anything like that happening before. You say this started happening after you were injured?" Starscream nodded.

"Very peculiar..." Ratchet put a hand on the bottom of his faceplate in contemplation. "And what do these glitches show you?"

"Cybertron," the Seeker answered, his tone hardening at the memory of his forsaken homeworld. "Joining the Decepticons and...my trine," he said mournfully, his faceplate a portrait of grief. He had been told that his trine was killed in the Autobot attack on Crystal City, but by know Starscream knew better than to trust anything from Megatron's mouth.

_'CPU glitches and memory lapses...the latter I've only seen happening with humans. But could it be that the Cybertronian mind isn't much different from an organic's?' _Ratchet contemplated.

"Starscream, I need you stay focused," Ratchet said in the most professional manner he could muster. "Is this the only time you've remembered your trine?" Starscream bobbed his helm, coolant building up in his optics.

"All I've ever been able to remember is waking up on Cybertron, in a Decepticon base. Megatron said I'd been badly wounded in the battle that sparked the war. That I'd suffered severe CPU trauma. And that I'd have permenant memory damage." The Seeker's words prompted Ratchet to point out, "That's impossible. Cybertronian mind is too complex to allow for irreversible memory loss. Unless...a mind wipe..." The medic's notion faded to a whisper. Starscream stayed silent, trying to console himself from the sudden onslaught of emotion at the though of his long-gone trine.

"That Insecticon attack must have triggered something in your CPU to gradually transmit the missing thoughts over time," Ratchet suggested. "For whatever reason, you witnessed something that Megatron wanted you to have no memory of. And I think a thorough examination should uncover what the trigger was," he said as he pulled out his advanced tool kit. "I'll have to sedate you again, Starscream. But if the glitches keep coming, pay close attention to them." Slightly anxious at going under again, Starscream nodded and laid back down on the berth, a slight prick in his servo the last thing he felt before he was enveloped in darkness.

xx

"Arcee, can I speak to you privately?" Ratchet called to the femme, who excused herself from the gaming humans.

"What's up, Ratchet?" Arcee asked as they secured an abandoned corner of the base, away from any eavesdroppers.

"There's been a new development considering Starscream." Ratchet described the mech's glitches and possible memory wipe.

"Well, that explains why he never seemed to recognize me," Arcee muttered mostly to herself.

"How close exactly _were_ you two on Cybertron?"Ratchet asked out of curiousity.

"Other than his trine, I was probably the only friend he had. Whenever Tailgate wasn't in my training classes, I'd go with Starscream instead for pair exercises. When we left the Academy, he even protected me once from Airachnid when she showed up. That was the last time I saw him before..." Arcee shook her helm to clear her mind of the past. "Do the other's know?"

"I've informed Optimus, and we've both agreed that perhaps we should keep this sensitive data to ourselves." Arcee nodded in understanding.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked, eager for an opportunity to get close to the mech without fear of being maimed. Even if he was disarmed, she knew how dangerous the Seeker could be without weapons. Mostly though, she wanted just one moment with her old friend that wasn't filled with crackling hostility. She didn't know if she could forgive him for Cliffjumper's demise, but perhaps she could push it to one side. Just this once.

"I imagine that having a friendly face around would help him signifigantly. If he's recalling past memories, then he should remember your past friendship and be less hostile to you than to the other Autobots."

"Makes sense," Arcee commented. "But if you don't mind me asking, Ratchet..." the femme paused uncertainly. "Why do you want Starscream to get his memories back? You hate the Decepticons as much as Optimus, sometimes even more. Even if he's no longer a 'Con, it'd be much easier for you to leave him be." Ratchet was taken aback by Arcee's question, to which there was no simple answer. It was the exact thing that he had said to her when she appeared with Starscream on her back. Back then, the first thought on Ratchet's mind was not _'How can I help this bot?' _but rather _'What use is this bot to us?' _Rarely do the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many, but there was always room for exceptions.

"Because I thought about what you said, about Starscream nowadays not being the real thing," Ratchet finally answered after minutes of pondering silence. "At first I thought war had just changed him for the worse, but now I know I was wrong. It was the doing of a mech as evil as Unicron that made him who he is. He saw something on Cybertron that caused him to lose everything. No bot deserves to feel so lost by that. By recovering the memories, I won't let that sacrifice be in vain."

Arcee smiled, a genuine one so rarely formed by the femme. "I'll get the real Starscream back. No matter what it takes."


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for being silent via author notes, the last chapter was uploaded at a short notice._

_xx_

**Memory Sequence 04 initialising...**

**/loading cities**

**/loading landscape**

**/running capture event**

**Loading complete**

**.**

_"How is our guest today?" Megatron asked the ever-vigilant Eradicons standing sentinel at the entrance to the Prisoner Cells. "Same as ever, Lord Megatron. She's been growing a lot bigger though." This made Megatron curious, if a little worried._

_As he approached, the Decepticon leader could see what the drone had meant by 'bigger'. The femme's protoform had grown to at least double its size in the space of mere decacycles. But what dominated the cell was eight long, barbed legs extending from the creature's back. Usually she preferred to keep them folded, but now it seemed she revelled in their uniqueness. "I've been thinking about your proposition, Lord Megatron..." The femme's voice was deep, edged with casual tone that sounded more dangerous than even the biggest swarm of Scraplets._

_"You say that joining your Decepticons would be the best opportunity I would ever have on this tainted world that you claim as rightfully yours. But I'm sceptical of such an allegation." The femme rotated herself on her extra legs to face her captor. Her pink honeycomb-patterned eyes glowed in the dim light, which also glinted off the horns crowning her head. "This cell and the Cybertronian wild are the only worlds I've ever known. I have no knowledge of how the civilians live, of the society outside the one you've built here. Which is why I make this request," She came closer to the bars of her prison, and looked Megatron in the optics. "I shall join your cause, and pledge my full loyalty to you, on the grounds that you allow me a single solar cycle outside your base. Guard me with whatever bots you wish, as long as I can feel Cybertron beneath my peds."_

_Megatron's optics lowered in consideration. With this femme-monstrosity wandering about, bearing the Decepticon name no less, it would only enforce the fear that the ex-gladiator had generated so easily before._

_"Very well, Airachnid. Tomorrow I shall have you escorted to one of the main Cybertron cities. As long as you do not disrupt the peace, you will be free to do as you wish."_

_Airachnid grinned, baring teeth glistening with acid. "I shall look forward to it, my Lord."_

_xx_

_"Starscream, I have an important task for you," Megatron addressed the recently appointed Decepticon scientist over the communication screen set into the near wall. He had settled in quickly, preferring to focus on his set task and avoiding the more rambunctious areas of the Decepticon's activities._

_"We have a potential new recruit, formerly a prisoner, who has made a request. In return for offering her services, she would like to walk the Cybertron streets unhindered, so to say. Take her to your home city, neutral ground. I want you to guard her, and ensure that she doesn't escape or cause any damage."_

_"Of course, Lord Megatron," Starscream answered with a bow, pausing his scientific work and making to the lab exit._

_"She'll be waiting in the Command Room, you'll know her when you see her." On that cryptic note, Megatron cut off from the comm line. _

_As Starscream entered the Command Room- the place he had first met Megatron- he was surprised to see the social area almost empty. Except for one bot flanked by Eradicons._

_She was without a doubt the strangest specimen Starscream had ever laid optics on. Horned helm, fangs portruding from the silver mouth, and several thin, dangerous-looking rods hidden behind the back._

_When the scientist approached, the Eradicons instantly moved away from the femme, as if she was carrying Cybonic plague._

_"Just what I need. A sparkling-sitter with barely enough bulk to hold himself upright," she muttered after dragging her optics up and down Starscream, loud enough for him to hear._

_"Better no bulk than too much, heavyweight," he retorted, which drew an indifferent growl from Airachnid. "Just don't get in my way, if you value your spark."_

_"How terrifying," Starscream said sarcastically, leading Airachnid to the base's transport cart system, which spanned several miles all over Cybertron, and wheeled out along the tracks towards Crystal City._

_xx_

_The two bots arrived at the city and climbed out of the carts, Airachnid taking the opportunity to try tripping Starscream up as he exited. Only his heels planted into the ground kept him upright and dignified. The track ended at a small Decepticon outpost, which doubled as both a transport station and a black market hub. All those bots milling about the stalls, so casually buying illegal high-grade and plasma as if they were innocent energon treats. Starscream wondered just how long this outpost had been operating for, realising that he'd barely even scratched the surface of his home's underworld._

_As the duo emerged from the secluded station and into the full blue rays of Cybertronian sunlight, Airachnid had began to wander off on her own, which suited her guard just fine. He'd rather not have such a disturbing creature latched onto him during his visit. And anyway, Starscream had planted a surveillance chip on her while she was distracted by the everyday Cybertron wonders, so he could see where she was and, as an extra precaution, know if she was causing any chaos thnks to the microphone addition. Now untethered, Starscream took advantage of the freedom and visited his trine at the old apartment block. Thundercracker still wasn't happy with Starscream's association with the Decepticons, but he didn't complain when the grey Seeker handed over a bag full of energon cubes as a gift. Skywarp on the other hand was happy for his friend, and didn't see the danger at all. The poor, naive fool. _

_Now as he was just wandering aimlessly, observing everyday life, Starscream started noticing little details he'd never paid attention to before. How the left street had two lines that everyone walked in, while the right was just a crowded mass of bodies manoeuvring themselves this way and that. How the Flora Studies Labs were positioned to catch the sun rays wherever it was in the sky. How the-_

_"Starscream? Is that you?"_

_The mech snapped back to reality as he was faced by someone he'd feared that he'd never see again._

_"Arcee! How- what are you doing here?" Starscream greeted his sparkling-hood friend, ecstatic to see her after so many stellar cycles._

_"Military tour, training exercise-oh it doesn't matter!" The blue femme pulled Starscream into an embrace, both laughing in disbelief and joy. "Wow, Starscream. It's been too long, you live in Crystal?"_

_"Yeah- I mean, I used to, but- it's a long story." Arcee brushed the vague answer off and was still grinning madly. "I'm so glad to see you, Star. After we graduated Helix Academy, I was so caught up in soldier training I kind of...alienated all my friends."_

_"I haven't had much time for friends either since I've been working," Starscream admitted, unable to lower the broad smile on his faceplate. "How's Tailgate?"_

_"Still useless with a sniper rifle, but up close he'll burn holes hotter than the Pit through you." The two walked and talked, laughed and just basked in each others company for what seemed like hours, while above them a malformed shadow scurried across the rooftops._

_xx_

_Airachnid had hoisted herself up one of the many tall buildings that dotted the city, aided by a sticky residue on the bottom of her back legs. She warmed in the sun that spilled its heat all over the planet, a light wind skimming over her sensory nodes. She'd experienced this everyday in the wilderness, the only place she'd felt she belonged. Wherever she went in those steel forests, an Insecticon always seemed to trail nearby. Eventually she was accepted into a hive of the creatures, and the queen took a liking to her. Like adoptive mother to daughter, Airachnid was groomed in the ways of hive hierarchy, control and survival. Being part organic, she could survive without energon by feeding off the flesh of other creatures. Of course that all changed when the Decepticons kidnapped her from her home and tortured her into submission._

_'Maybe joining up with them won't be so bad. Can't be worse than being a prisoner,' she thought passively as she took in the vast horizon of glass skyscrapers and monuments. 'With enough work, I can finally claim my title as queen...'_

_Her optics darted all over the place, captured by something new and unfamiliar every second. It felt...empowering seeing all off the world below her, as if she could pick bots up and throw them to the ground._

_'Ooh, speaking of bots...' Airachnid had noticed a duo walking alone, oblivious to anything else around them. They were right below her, in one of the random alleyways that seemed to snake all over the city. In the setting sun, it was hard to pick out individual colours and features, though they were both obviously a mech and a femme._

_'This will be fun...'_


	9. Chapter 9

**Memory Overflow Detected**

**Memory Sequence shall continue as specified**

**.**

_"Scrap," Starscream cursed as he found his storage compartment empty: the tracking pad that showed Airachnid's movements had fallen out and he hadn't even noticed._

_"Wait here, Arcee. I dropped something," he explained, walking out of the alleyway to retrace his steps and leaving the blue femme on her own. Arcee kept her gaze on the alley opening, waiting patiently for her friend to return. _

_She didn't see the spiky shadow looming over her._

_The femme barely registered the strange _squish _sound before she was thrown to the wall, encased in a sticky white substance. _

_"He-!" Arcee was cut off by a clawed hand clamping over her mouth._

_"Now, now, dear. We don't want to break up our little meeting so soon, do we?" Arcee struggled against the iron grip, but the attacker dug her digits into the femme's faceplate, leaving weeping cuts."You're the first piece of _true _entertainment I've seen since I arrived here." Desperately Arcee bit down as hard as she could._

_"Well, that is just _rude_." The hand suddenly jerked away from Arcee's mouth but was instantly replaced with more of the white stuff. The attacker repositioned herself in front of her prisoner, and Arcee would have purged in disgut if she wasn't gagged._

_"Now...Arcee, was it? I don't want to have to hurt you - oh wait, I do," Airachnid laughed evilly, baring her poisoned fangs at the trembling Arcee._

_xx_

_Starscream was relieved to find the tracking pad undamaged, lying in one of the other alleyways. Even though he was only gone for a few klicks, the mech was eager to return to Arcee. Starscream had learnt a lot about his friend from their brief reunion: after graduating from Helix Academy, Arcee and her spark-brother Tailgate had been offered a military scholarship at Iacon City with the Delta Team. She was regularly sent out of Iacon to the neighbouring cities in training missions: this one required the femme to scout a foreign landscape - in this case, Crystal City - as fast as possible. She'd finished the exercise, and was free to spend the rest of her visit as she wished. _

_Checking the tracking pad, Starscream replayed the audio and video recordings of Airachnid's last few hours as he walked back. It seemed that the abnormal femme had taken to concealing herself in the more abandoned streets, surveying other Cybertronians from a distance, like they were stacks of energon cubes. _

_Eventually she paused in front of a dead end and-_

_'Dear Primus, what is that thing?' Starscream thought in revulsion as the rods on Airachnid's back formed into claw-like legs, which scaled up the wall and onto the roof of the building._

_She looked down on the city for several klicks. Starscream forwarded the recording until the femme had suddenly moved, her helm looking down at the street directly below her. Starscream's intakes hitched as he saw two very familiar figures in the recording. Looking up Airachnid's current location confirmed his suspicions, and he bolted back to where he'd left Arcee. He prayed that he wasn't too late._

_xx_

_"So what'll it be, Arcee? Slow and painful, or slow and agonizing?" The trapped femme writhed and struggled against the webbing pinning her to the wall, as her captor drew more scars onto her protoform with her claws. Acid was dripping from her fangs, making hissing sounds as the drops hit the ground. The blue femme prayed for someone, _anyone_ to pass by the alley and somehow stop this monstrosity, even the slightest distraction would be all that she needed to get away. But this late in the day, the chances of that happening were as slim as Arcee's chance of survival._

_'Please Starscream, come back...'_

_Airachnid lifted a servo high, intending to slash straight across Arcee's faceplate when she was toppled by a rocket slamming into her side. The stench of burnt metal filled the air, as well as acrid smoke from the blast. When the black clouds cleared, Starscream was revealed to be standing at the alley entrance, servo held aloft and aiming at the spider-femme. Airachnid was left twitching on the ground, groaning in pain._

_"Starscream, what in the Pit-" Arcee began as the gag was removed and she was cut down from the wall, but the mech interrupted her._

_"No time to explain, Arcee. I'm sorry for this, but you need to get out of here, now!" Starscream told her, holding her in an apologetic half-embrace. Still looking confused, Arcee nodded and headed off to one of the main streets. She only looked back once, but by then Starscream and the hideous spider had vanished._

_xx_

_"Give me one reason why I shouldn't turn your sorry aft into Megatron," Airachnid said as she was led by Starscream back to the outpost, moonlight the only illumination in the isolated burrow. Airachnid's wound had begun to heal over, but her eyes still flared dangerously. _

_"Because currently you haven't given him a good reason to trust you. One word from me and you'll be shipped off to the nearest and cheapest brothel in Kaon," Starscream said casually back. "I doubt that there would be mechs desperate enough to pay you though." That comment hurt her deeply, and he knew it. But he wasn't in the mood for playing the tour guide anymore. _

_"And just who was that slut-" Starscream's wrist-rocket was at Airachnid's face before she could finish. That wasn't a mere frown on his faceplate, it was a scowl of pure outrage. "She's more a worthy femme you'll ever be," he growled as he backed into the transport cart, tugging Airachnid in with him. Despite the painful words, the spider smiled at him.  
"Looks like our resident naive scientist has a weak spot," she pondered as they rattled along the rough track back towards the base. "Why so protective? Femmes like her are a digit a dozen- oh don't point that thing at me, Starscream. I don't think Megatron will take kindly to his little pet being terminated so early. Even if he doesn't trust me, we both can't deny his infatuation. I guess that makes him a _truly desperate mech,_" Airachnid warned as she pushed the rocket out of her face, Starscream's own was still twisted into a frown. She was right, of course. The hole inflicted in her side was bad enough, he didn't need murder added to his rap sheet. So Starscream sat silent through the rest of the journey, avoiding Airachnid's toxic gaze._

_xx_

_"What were you thinking, Airachnid?!" Megatron screamed in pure fury at the two bots trembling before him._

_"My sincerest apologies, Lord Megatron. But the femme was a soldier from Iacon, she said it herself! Her companion was most likely one as well." Airachnid pleaded, lying right through her dental plates. Even with Starscream's sharp insults to her, she didn't rat him out, for whatever reason. The Seeker doubted that it was out of the kindness of her black spark._

_"I don't care if it was a fully trained Autobot, you were not given orders to attack!" Megatron's optics burned furiously as he reprimanded the femme. "As for you, Starscream," the warlord had turned his attention to the cowering scientist to his left. "Why weren't you watching over her?" Megatron's voice had subsided to a cold, accusing tone. _

_"Well, um, Lord Megatron, I _was _tracking her," Airachnid's optics narrowed at discovering she was being followed during her time in Crystal CIty. "And I had errands to run-"_

_"You mean visiting those _friends _of yours, whom are clearly distracting you from completing your duties as a loyal Decepticon?" Megatron interjected, servos crossed in disapproval. The grey mech's mouth opened and closed wildly at the mention of Skywarp and Thundercracker. Starscream risked putting them in danger or revealing his friendship with Arcee. It was no secret that Iacon was the official home of the Autobots and all the soldiers recruited there were integrated into the 'Bots at some point or another._

_"Lord Megatron, please, I-"_

_"Enough, Starscream. Until your work is done, you shall not be leaving the base," Megatron commanded the scientist, whose helm lowered bitterly. _

_"As you wish, Lord Megatron," Starscream sighed as he excused himself, trying to not growl at 'lord' as he head back to his lab._

_"Airachnid, your actions in Crystal City have reflected an inability to follow orders," Megatron addressed the femme again. "However, as you show a rare tolerance for assault, I shall accept you as a Decepticon recruit. Take this as a warning, Airachnid, to not disobey me again."_

_"I am honoured to join your cause, Lord Megatron," Airachnid bowed at her leader, her extra legs twitching with anticipation._

_"Excellent. You will be escorted to your quarters, and will recieve next orders tomorrow. You would do wise to follow them this time around." Airachnid was led away by a duo of wary Eradicons. Soundwave emerged from a door adjacent to the command center, holding the tracking pad Starscream was using. "You've analysed the contents thoroughly, Soundwave?" The black mech nodded to his leader, who took the pad from his loyal officer's hands."And was Airachnid speaking the truth?" Another nod as Soundwave played a short snippet of conversation between Airachnid and Arcee. Megatron seemed to grin in satisfaction, if not out of habit. _

_"Very good as always, Soundwave. As a final task of the day, retire to your quarters and monitor Laserbeak further," Megatron instructed, dismissing the officer. Soundwave walked to his private quarters, and dropped something onto one of the tables. A memory chip, small enough to be concealed in an average sized hand. Soundwave had extracted it from the tracking pad and made an exact copy, with the same audio and video information of Airachnid stored on it. Megatron had not asked about Starscream's involvement with the incident, and so Soundwave did not disclose such information. Every bot had their secrets, be they grand or small. And from what Soundwave had seen from Megatron's current state of mind, secrets were more precious now than ever before._


	10. Chapter 10

_This chapter will be a little different, taking place just after Chapter 2._

xx

**Chapter 5; Intentions**

Over the eons, Soundwave had gained a reputation of reclusiveness and silence. So no-one questioned him when he spent nearly all hours of the day in his private quarters, only emerging to respond to Megatron's summons. Truth be told, his quarters was the only place that Soundwave ever felt at complete peace. It was right next door to the Nemesis central mainframe, easy access to the entire Decepticon database, and far away from the other bothersome soldiers. Laserbeak sat perched on a shelf above Soundwave's workspace, chirping as an alert flashed past his visual interface. The two had an almost symbiotic relationship, one that was established as soon as Soundwave had emerged from the Well of All Sparks and saw the young creature gliding across the nearby rolling hills. Back on Cybertron, Laserbeak had used his ability to fly (something that Soundwave had not acquired then) to scout Energon scraps to share with the mech, and Soundwave had provided Laserbeak protection against predacons that would otherwise have killed him.

"Starscream; status is near critical. Insecticon poison has started memory recovery program without prior confirmation.." Laserbeak's voice was light and chirping, with a robotic quality to it. "Estimated chance of 'Project Domino' success; 51%. Recommendation is to continue with monitored execution of implanted program."

Even though he didn't have to speak, Soundwave still chose to only nod in answer. Laserbeak's plating parted slightly to reveal a tiny device stored within, similar to a radio-controller. Soundwave removed it from the drone and proceeded to tweak the various dials and buttons so slowly and precisely, one might have thought the thing would explode after one mistake.

Eventually there was a _ping_ sound as the device glowed a faint blue and completed its purpose. With a casualness reminiscent of simply sipping on an energon cube, Soundwave crushed the glowing thing in his hand, tiny filaments showering on the ground.

_"Core program now taking effect,' _Laserbeak relayed. _"Estimated time for completion: 3 Earth days."_ Soundwave remained as silent as ever.

xx

Starscream's optics whirred online, and he once again felt that dazed lethargy that came with the effects of anaesthetic He knew better than to try lifting his limbs, though he did crane his neck around. To the left was the entrance to the rest of the Autobot base, and to the right- '_Oh scrap.'_

"That energon drip feel good, Screamer?" Bulkhead asked snarkily from across the room, his voice component sounding weak. "Probably because bots weren't _killed_ for it."

"Bulkhead, what did I say about speaking with the...other patient?" Ratchet cut in before a full on verbal fight insued. Bulkhead barked a rough sound of laughter at the medic's words.

"He isn't a patient, he's a _leech_."

"Do I have to increase your 'sthetic dose?" Ratchet threatened, and the Wrecker decided to keep his jaw riveted, though he still glared glowing daggers at Starscream.

"Now if there are no further interruptions," Ratchet muttered while he turned his attention to Starscream. "After a _thorough _CPU search, I do believe I have discovered the source of your glitches," He picked up a microscope slide with a tiny black dot in the middle and brought it up to Starscream's optics so he could see it clearly.

"A computer chip?" he asked disbelievingly, cynical that such a primitive thing could do any damage or alteration to his far superior processor.

"A highly advanced chip. I've never seen anything like it," Ratchet replied, setting the slide down. "I estimate it has over a terabyte of data that was transmitting straight to your processor. That was what caused the glitches. All of the data within is locked though. More sophisticated than anything else like it. It would take a year of study and analysis just to know where to begin in cracking it."

_'One obstacle after another...' _Starscream thought bitterly as his mind wandered over what he had just experienced. Airachnid...she was as bad back then as she ever was. Arcee was the one who interested him. All he had witnessed pointed towards a friendship between them, but how? Was it the same old cliche, star-crossed sparks whose past bonds were lost and shrivelled in time? He hoped it was something a tad more exciting. Further more, he refused to believe that wreck of a mech was him- no matter how many eons ago it was. Whatever had been done to him, if it had turned him from _that _sickening sight to his glorious self now, then perhaps it wasn't all so bad.

"However, despite all the locks placed upon it, I did discover an emblem imprinted on the chip." Ratchet's finishing words brought Starscream back to reality. The medic projected an image onto the far wall, showing a very familiar symbol. It was reminiscent of the Decepticon symbol, but was more pointed and encased in a spiked triangle.

"Soundwave!" Starscream blurted out, recognizing it instantly. Ratchet looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"High ranking Decepticons had a personal insigna that they used to sign documents and files. I'd know Soundwave's anywhere," Starscream elaborated.

"Looks more like CIV," Bulkhead muttered morbidly, but was silenced by a look from Ratchet.

"Well, we know who implanted the chip. But why would Soundwave want to transmit these memories?" Ratchet wondered out loud. "I can't think of anything he could gain from it." He logged the new information into Starscream's file- it seemed the Seeker was becoming more Autobot with every passing day- and monitored both Star's and Bulkhead's energon drips.

"It'll be a while before you can become mobile again, Bulk. But until then, you'll be confined to the med-bay and like it or not, you _will _learn to treat Starscream with some civility."

"Oh, you mean like how he treated Cliffjumper?" the big mech spat out, refusing to even meet Starscream's optics. Ratchet just sighed and slipped some more anaesthetic into his drip. Eventually Bulk's optic-lids drooped heavily and clamped closed.

"Same goes for you, Starscream. As long as you are in this base, you will treat both the Autobots and- should they arise in the situation, the humans- with respect and dignity." The Seeker had to resist the urge to sneer.

"And what's to stop me from breaking out and running back to the Decepticons?" he asked, mostly to see the medic's reaction.

"Other than the firepower and extensive defenses set against your escape? Nothing much, except this little trivial thing." Starscream's intakes hitched as Ratchet held up a T-Cog, polished and gleaming. The very same one he was about to implant himself before the Insecticon attack.

"It must kill you inside, being grounded for so long. Oh yes, I have a fair amount of knowledge about you Seekers. Just think of it, the wind flowing past you and the floor of the earth so far below, not a care in the world except the speed and the-"  
"Stop, stop!" Starscream shrieked and pulled against his restraints, trying to somehow block his audios. "I'll do whatever you Autobots want, just stop the torture!" Ratchet smirked at how easy it was to bend a bot. The use and manipulation of words, an art so basic yet long forgotten in the war, was as essential to any self-respecting Autobot as energon. Unfortunately, Megatron had gained access to such a sacred art as well.

"Before you can be of any use," Ratchet began, springing the servo bonds and allowing Starscream sit up, "You'll need to get acquianted with the base. Maybe you can_ earn _your T-Cog." As Starscream stood up, his wrists were suddenly bound again by an electron link that apparated between the wrist cuffs. Grumbling, he let Ratchet lead him out of the med-bay into the base beyond.

"Welcome to the Autobots."


	11. Chapter 11

_OH LAAAWDY did I do an overhaul on this. As in, completely re-written from the original. And it desperately needed it. The original was just bland and flat, no real development or character thought. Now I've explored more into Arcee's thoughts and Starscream's integration into Team Prime, and I sincerely hope y'all enjoy it! :D_

xx

**Chapter 6; Alliance**

"This is the main foyer," Ratchet stated, motioning around the large room with computer banks, corridors leading off in all directions, a Ground Bridge port set into one wall and a small area set up for the humans. Starscream made a condescending sound as he saw the tiny little computers they used, with even smaller controllers. How could they possibly do any work on those pitiful pieces of technology?  
"The children spend most of their time here, and those computers control the Ground Bridge. Don't try to hack into it unless you want your digits to be fried off, or expect to be using it anytime soon," Ratchet continued as Bumblebee walked out one of the corridors and instantly shrank back as he caught sight of the Seeker.

"Speaking of those _humans," _Starscream asked, struggling not to shiver at the thought of the squishy organics, "I trust that they won't always be infes- I mean, occupying the area?"

"They have school- human equivalent to the Academies- during the day and visit in the evenings, but at weekends they'll be here most of the day." Ratchet actually chuckled at Starscream's expression of worry. "Just watch were you step with them around."

"Down that west hallway is the soldier barracks- Bumblebee, come out from there," he ordered the yellow scout, who nervously emerged from behind the wall and avoided looking at the grey Seeker. He clicked something in his acquired language, to which Ratchet replied, "Bee, I understand your apprehension fully, but Starscream is both unarmed and restrained. You may need to get used to seeing him-" This prompted a high-pitched whirr of panic from the scout, who proceeded to rush towards the energon store away from the ex-'Con.

Starscream scoffed at how Bumblebee reacted, like a day old sparkling. Of course all Autobots were cowardly as a standard, but Bumbleebee was especially a grating specimen. Whether it was the bot himself or Megatron's endless boasting of having torn his voicebox out at Tyger Pax. The Seeker had personally disposed of one of the wretched 'Bots and he didn't go on about it so much. Wait...yes he did. In fact, he had bragged about it even more than Megatron had done so with his achievements.

By the Allspark, was he really that irritating?

And what of the Autobots and their conquests, did they take pride in snuffing out a Decepticon? If they ever even did so during their stay on Earth. They obviously took death straight to the spark, all this time and they still weren't over Cliffjumper. Megatron would have thrown any grief-stricken bot off the Nemesis deck for neglecting their Decepticon duties.

Then again, that was Megatron. This was the territory of Primes, of Iacon soldiers raised on virtues of right and wrong. Like it or not, he'd have to adapt to that moral code of theirs. They may not kill him, but even the Autobots weren't restricted from torture.

xx

The duo wound past the barracks, washracks, armoury and rec room. The lower levels of the base, holding the vaults, energon store and other maintenance rooms, were out of bounds to Starscream. "You'll see those when Optimus is convinced that you won't shoot us in the back at the first chance," Ratchet explained, the Seeker staying in an offended silence.

When the two found themselves back in the foyer, they were greeted by a steel-faced Optimus Prime. Arcee hovered in the background, looking into the distance while chancing glances at Starscream.

"I trust that Starscream knows fully of his predicament?" the Prime asked his medic, to which he nodded. "Then I shall offer this proposal. Despite your deep association with the Decepticons and your past betrayal of our trust, we are willing to aid you. Keeping in mind that we are perhaps the only lifeforms on this planet that are giving you such an offer, we must demand that you forswear your past allegiances and give your full spark, mind and loyalty to the Autobots. I cannot promise you acceptance, but I can promise a haven in this war-torn world and, if you earn it, a T-Cog and eventual flight ability." Optimus' servos were crossed over his chest, patiently waiting for Starscream's answer.

He took a moment to go over the offer. Did he feel any sense of loyalty towards Megatron? The number of times that tyrant had beat him to the brink of blackout, had exploited and humiliated and enacted a countless other number of abuses against him. How many times had his armour been scarred beyond recognition? And just what was so bad, so unspeakable that even Megatron felt the need to erase all recall of it? The visions had awakened a biting curiosity within Starscream, not at all professional or practical. But would allying himself with beings so pretentious and preachy and the Autobots sate that hunger for the truth? He was never known as a good Decepticon, much less a trustful one. If the Autobots were so much different to the 'Cons, then perhaps he could suffer them until he could finally fly again.

"Hmph, not like I have a choice, is it?" Starscream grumbled to himself, bringing his optics to meet the Prime's own. "I see that your proposal is the only sane option open to me. I accept your terms, Optimus Prime. If only to ensure my own survival." In the background, Arcee couldn't stop a smile spreading infectiously across her faceplate.

xx

Raf whooped victoriously at his second race win in a row. Jack glared at him, scowling and clenching the controller.

"C'mon, Jack. Don't look so bitter. One more game, please?" Raf pleaded, Jack's gaze softening.

"Alright," he mumbled with a faux reluctance, gripping the controller like it was an actual steering wheel and frantically pressing buttons.

Arcee looked on half-heartedly, her CPU playing over every moment she'd spent with Starscream before the war. The last time she had seen him with a hint of normalcy was during her military tour of Crystal City, and even that precious memory was tarnished by Airachnid's appearance. Recalling him standing by Megatron over a river of spilled energon and mountains of scorched protoforms...Primus, it was like losing Tailgate all over again. At least her spark was somewhat hardened from the loss of Starscream, but Tailgate wasn't just lost. He was as dead as Cybertron itself. Keeping her helm down, Arcee looked towards Miko curled on the couch, staring at the boys and their race game. She didn't know how similar human and Cybertronian emotions were, but if Miko was feeling half of what Arcee had felt when she witnessed Tailgate's murder and Cliffjumper's exploitation- even in death-, then it must be crushing her soul. The young girl wasn't permitted to visit Bulkhead during his recovery on both Ratchet's and Optimus' orders, and it was tearing her apart. How must it have felt, not knowing your partner would live or die in a matter of hours? Arcee had never had to deal with that sense of dreadful uncertainty at least. No wonder Miko had sought revenge against those Insecticons.

But she was proof that revenge never made anything better, it wouldn't bring back what was gone. There was only two options; stay in the past and grieve yourself into a miserable stupor, or keep on marching and fighting, even for something so seemingly futile and hopeless as this war. Fight for what they died for, and make Primus himself proud.

"Hey Arcee, are you alright?" Jack asked, jerking the femme from her lucid state. The young human looked up at her anxiously as Raf cheered next to him.

"Yeah. Fine," she replied after a long moment, smiling weakly. Jack looked unconvinced, but didn't pursue the matter further. While him and Raf set up for a final rematch, she gazed at Miko in her depressed daydreaming. Legs pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her knees, it was a mirror image of how Arcee had spent her days in her quarters.

Maybe he humans and the robots weren't so different after all.

xx

As Starscream lay on the all-too-familiar medical berth in the dimly lit med-bay, he tried lulling himself into a natural recharge with the leaking sounds of an Autobot evening. Bumblebee's inane chirping and the human's chatter and laughter wasn't exactly a lullaby, but it was better than intimidating silence. At least he could move his servos now, free of shackles both literal and metaphorical. He didn't want to admit it, but allying himself with the Autobots would probably give him the best chance he'd ever have for survival on this parasite infested planet. Whatever Soundwave was doing to his brain, at least he could live it out in relative safety. And eventually piece it all together. So far all he knew was of Airachnid's past involvement with the Decepticons and his friendship with- wait, friendship? Starscream was surprised that he'd never thought about it until now, his apparent relation with an Autobot. Arcee, the one who always got away, the jinx. He didn't even know how it was possible and he himself had witnessed it. Did Arcee know anything about it? Even when she was tasked with guarding him while the Autobots went after the Immobiliser, she had allowed her emotions to open. Even when Starscream had let it slip that he had offlined Cliffjumper she refused to pay him the same favour. During all their confrontations Arcee was always holding something back, that final killing blow. Maybe some part of her still saw a friend within him.

But could Starscream see one within her?

xx

Soundwave sat in his quarters, stoic as stone with feelers draped and crossed all over the room, connected to all manner of ports in the walls. A display lit up his visor, detailing encrypted information even the most well versed Cybertronian linguist would have trouble decoding. The lighting was down to 0% intensity, making the inset light trails in the wall glow even brighter. Laserbeak perched on an exposed pipe, watching his protector intently.

_"Estimated time of completion: 2 Earth days," _the symbiote relayed, adding another layer of information to Soundwave's data stack, which he was simultaneously checking and refining every second. He knew how delicate the memory restore operation would be, and still he chose to do it. If not to help himself, to repay a favour to a bot he once called a friend.


	12. Chapter 12

_I can't even say how much I've improved this chapter- before it was just a bland introduction to Soundwave and how he and Starscream came together. Now I've added a big chunk of insight into Wave's mind and how he fitted into the Decepticons.  
In short, a hell of a lot better than the original :)_

_xx_

**Memory Sequence 05 initialising...**

**/setting values**

**/generating established models**

**WARNING: Selected memory is unstable due to large character values**

**Continue anyway?**

**/y  
Loading complete**

**.**

_Starscream walked through the basement confines of the Delta Decepticon base, his lone footsteps echoing off the walls. He knew barricading himself in the lab all hours of the solar cycles wouldn't be healthy, so resigned himself to touring the lower levels of the base to stretch his legs every once in a while._

_It was a mostly uneventful journey, the only bots he came across were the single minded Eradicons. He hadn't seen any sign of Airachnid since their confrontation at Crystal City; supposedly she had been assigned to Megatron's personal quarters up at the Alpha Base in central Kaon. A popular topic of discussion among the Decepticons was her partnership wtih Shockwave, another Decepticon scientist that was above Starscream, who was working on taming and recruiting wild Insecticons into the 'Con army. He was based in the eastern city Tarn, and during his only visit to the Delta base he stood out like a sore digit. A single glaring red optic dominated his helm, a swishing gear-toothed appendage extending from his back to his menacing arm-mounted weapon. It was enough to give Starscream night terrors. _

_It seemed that being terrifying being comprehension was a standard requirement for all Decepticon officers. Knock Out was an exception, though that buzzsaw of his was unnerving when deployed. It came as no surprise to Starscream that the red mech was employed as a doctor; Knock Out was always the type who looked like he wanted to slice up everyone in the room. Now he gets paid for doing so. In the times that he did have to report to the med-bay, Knock Out was usually distracted by either buffing his finish or conversing over comm line with a spy by the name of Breakdown that had been implanted within the ranks of the Gygaxian Wrecker group. Megatron was highly suspicious of the rowdy bots within and knew it was only a matter of time before they were integrated to the Autobot army. It seemed that the good Lord always had a plethora of mass-scale schemes, plans and plots unfolding and convening simultaneously. It was a wonder how he kept track of it all, until one realised who was really controlling the technical aspects of the Decepticons. Soundwave, Second in Command and professional Creeps Mcgee._

_Hidden behind that masquerade visor was something that Starscream put all his effort into avoiding thinking about. It didn't help that the Primus-damned SIC liked to linger around Starscream's workspace, never saying a word or even acknowledging his surroundings. Knock Out had assured the grey mech that Soundwave was only stationed there to keep track of Starscream's research and progress, but without a face to trust, he could barely supress shivers whenever he was stuck with him._

_The sudden drift of muffled voices around the corner stopped Starscream in his tracks. He opened up his audial interface and extended the parameters beyond the default hearing range. The murmurs suddenly became clear, if slightly static fringed:_

_"-ung from the Kaon Spire and draped as a banner. So unless you want to meet a similar fate, I'd advise that you keep your speculations to yourself." The voice was unfamiliar, though clipped and commanding. Starscream could sense three figures beyond, though he didn't dare look to verify their identities._

_"This will be your _only _warning, Soundwave," another voice said threateningly, akin to his companion. And of course their third remained as silent and apathetic as ever. What followed was a sickening crack and smash combination and the wafting sound of smug laughter. It gradually faded into the distance, and Starscream inched himself around the corner and looked at the scene beyond._

_Soundwave was leaning against the wall, tentatively holding his helm. Tiny sparkles and large chunks of glass glittered in the harsh utility lighting overhead. The mute mech seemed to be shielding himself from the glare while assessing the damage to his visor. _

_Worried, Starscream moved from his relative hiding spot and made toward Soundwave, who flinched and turned away when he approached. _

_"Um, Soundwave, are you hurt?" Starscream asked, not sure how to approach the officer. Rank wise, they were equals, but Starscream had always sensed an air of superiority glaring from Soundwave. Now though,he wasn't the frightening figure of mystery anymore than a glitch mouse was a dinobot. He looked as vulnerable as a sparkling, and somehow it made Starscream feel uncomfortable. Like he was seeing something that no bot was meant to see._

_Soundwave shook his helm slowly, causing more shards to dislodge themselves from the shattered mask. With one hand still on the remains of his visor, he glided the other over the tiny crystals and glass pieces scattered on the floor, almost mournfully._

_"I won't ask questions on what happened here," Starscream said, hiding the fact that he was eavesdropping on the whole affair. "But I'm sure Knock Out will-" the mech was cut off by Soundwave shaking his helm furiously, sending a final shard flying to the side. "You have a problem with him?" A shaky nod. Of course every Decepticon bot was afraid of each other, the assorted snitches and backstabbers all turned against one another, no-one to trust. But to harbour such apprehension against a single one- the army's resident physician no less- was a troubling thought. The equipment that Soundwave possessed wasn't a simple accessory or small piece of technology; his visor was as much a part of him as his servos. Breaking the machinations within was like breaking a bone, cracks on the glass would heal like scars on metal. To be properly fixed, it required medical attention. And as there was no way that Soundwave was going to walk around either with a broken visor or none at all, and he refused to have it fixed professionally, there was only one other option._

_"Well, I have some medical expertise. If I could examine and see what the extent of the damage is..." Soundwave said nothing, but his large shoulders relaxed at Starscream's words. As Starscream knelt, Soundwave moved his shielding hands to the sides of his helm. The mask was a spiderweb of chips and cracks in the glass, the centre layer looking so thin that a simple tap would poke right through. On the sides were six clasps, secured by pressurised locks and recognition technology- as to prevent any unpermitted removals. Starscream realisedthat fact the hard way when a bolt of electricity jumped from the clasps when he tried to undo them. He hissed in pain, and Soundwave's shoulders bunched in an apologetic way. He seemed to hesitate for several klicks, before raising a slim digit and pointing down the corridor to where it branched off into two different sections. Starscream had only ever been one way before, he'd never had any reason to go down the other. Soundwave placed a servo over his spark chamber, the other pointing to his mask. Starscream had only had a brief mandatory lesson on Cybertronian sign language at Helix Academy, but knew enough to know what the mech was saying._

_"Your quarters is down there?" he asked to be sure. Soundwave nodded, pushing himself upright and making his way towards the branching corridor. Starscream jogged to keep up with his brisk, purposeful pace. As they walked further into the unexplored depths of the Decepticon base, the lights grew steadily dimmer. It unnerved Starscream, but still he pushed onwards with Soundwave leading the way. By the time the duo reached a vaulted door, there was hardly any illumination._

_Soundwave hovered a servo the air, sweeping it in front of a small pad set in the wall beside the door. It lit up and elicited a beep, and the door slid open into an even darker room. Soundwave stepped inside, Starscream following somewhat apprehensively. _

_The room gradually filled with a faint purple glow as it configured itself, illuminating a standard-issue berth and several computer banks set into the walls, as well as a number of work benches and terminals. The air circulating through the area seemed to shift slightly as Starscream entered, one of the corners stretching out for a fleeting astrosecond. Starscream blinked his optics, and the room resetted to normal. A simple trick of the dim light._

_While Starscream analysed the new surroundings, Soundwave reached to the mask, pausing over the cracks that spread across it, pressing onto the locks and hesitantly released them. There was a hissing sound as the lock pressure was lifted and the mask was freed from its restraints. Turning to his side, Soundwave lifted it off and held it tenderly in his hands. At his angle of sight and light level, Starscream could see a dark grey face, with a darker triangular curve on the chin. The mouth was a thin line, betraying no emotion, and glowing jewels of red optics squinted at the sudden change of environment. He couldn't be called handsome, his features were too fine for such a label. A more appropriate description would be pretty, strangely femme-like. Starscream himself was berated endlessly for his slim frame and pointed legs, he couldn't imagine how they had treated Soundwave. No wonder he kept such a face hidden from the incriminating glares._

_As Starscream fished out his solder kit from subspace, Soundwave traced the deep gouges scarred into his second face. It seemed that the fragile visor had taken punishment from every Decepticon that the mech had ever had the misfortune to pass, very few of which he could even recall by name. Now he could add Dreadwing and his twin Skyquake to that ever-growing-and-forgetful list. It seemed that anyone who could shoot an Autobot from three clicks away was integrated into Megatron's personal circle; first the nightmare Airachnid and now the Seeker- as Megatron liked to call their kind- twins. Soundwave had stood by his lord since his days as Megatronus, locked within the walls of The Forge as the gracious Cybertronian populace gambled on his life. An inescapable arena life were survival was traded for the barest vestiges of dignity. He had witnessed first-hand the birth of an unlikely friendship between the Lord and the destined Prime; Orion Pax. And he had watched it crumble in a single moment of envy and rage. Perhaps it was too much to hope for, abolishment of the castes and a unified Cybertron. Even with Orion Pax preaching those very same ideals, innumerable bots were left on the streets to rust, the Well of All Sparks at a literal standstill, and those lucky few who did emerge being snatched straight from their emergence and forced into the lowest brothels of Kaon. While in Iacon City the politicians and council members sipped high grade from flutes crafted from crystal shipped from the Gygaxian mines, those deemed unworthy for such a life were forced into the mining pits while their spilt energon and coolant tainted the damned gems. The higher castes' prodigious sparks didn't have to lift a digit or sell themselves like used toys. In the courts and halls of Praxus the artists danced and sang their way through their lives of comfort while below them hundreds sounded a choir of poverty and starvation, hopelessness and true abandonment. Those desperate enough for a slither of joy in their lives were hooked on Plasma, Electra and even circuit boosters. They wired themselves up and let the slag suck the very spark out from them._

_All of that bitter existence, and Soundwave was worried about his mask._

_"Soundwave?" Starscream's inquisitive tone brought the officer back from his depression. He turned his penetrating optics to meet the scientist's, cutting a crimson glow through the lingering gloom. Starscream had prepared the necessary tools on a clear table, and when Soundwave handed his superficial burden into his capable hands, he worked meticulously and with a delicate grace. So unlike Knock Out, the flame of the blowtorch warm as it danced in the mild draught of the room rather than a searing signal of torment. The fissures in the glass melted and blended together like liquid as they met the heat. And while the scientist did what he could, Soundwave tried to comprehend what had prompted him to act so selflessly. Giving up his valuable time to help a stranger, least of all one with Soundwave's reputation. His empty chest compartment itched with the senselessness of it all, and he yearned for the sure company of his symbiote. Laserbeak was the only one who could accompany him indefinitely, in every and any situation. The third pair of crimson optics present in that room were dimmed for a reason- secrecy. The bearer of those optics watched on with a guarded curiosity, crouched on its four legs and shrouded in the far shadows. It wouldn't do for Soundwave to flaunt _all _his weaknesses so obviously._

_And Megatron didn't exactly have a rule against pets._


	13. Chapter 13

_I have to say, I'm pretty darn proud of myself with this chapter. This one was COMPLETELY re-written from scratch, and is lengthy and juicy. Safe to say that this is where the action starts, people ;)_

_Once again, always and eternally grateful to you reviewers/casual readers out there. Firefly loves ya 3_

_xx_

**Chapter 7; Awake**

Starscream didn't realize he was awake until he saw the world swim and tilt in a swirl of dull colours. Coolant was coursing down his frame, several warnings on his HUD showing his core temperature reaching a critical state. The med-bay was as cold as ever though, the lights dimmed to the lowest intensity and the only sound being the steady beep of Bulkhead's spark monitor further down the row of berths. The Wrecker was still out from the extra dose of anesthetic and was grumbling softly in his state of induced recharge. Closing and refocusing his optics, the ground stopped spinning and the thudding in his helm lightened. Underneath Starscream the metal of the berth was warm from his body heat, but the solidity had caused his joints to stiffen uncomfortably. He stretched his servos out- wait. Starscream stared at his unrestrained limbs in disbelief. Was it some technical malfunction, or a simple mistake? There was no possible motive for the Autobots to leave him free. Their distrust of Starscream was expected, even welcomed somewhat. It reassured the Seeker that even the Autobots weren't so immune to the basic, primitive traits of all species; apprehension, caution, loathing. But all that reasoning dissolved when Starscream touched his peds to the floor, silent as death. Either those inferior 'Bot processors were glitching worse than his was, or they were toying with him. The whole thing was illogical.

Logic. Primus damn him, he was starting to think like Shockwave. At least, so far, he hadn't encountered the accursed mech in his glitches. Soundwave, however...

The sight of that mech in his recent vision was disconcerting, to say the least. If there was anything infinite in the universe, it was Soundwave's cruelty. At any moment, at the slightest sign of weakness or requiescence, he could slip into your processor and worm his way through the minute mazes of the inner Cybertronian brain without any difficulty, opening doors long ago locked and dig up the skeletons within, holding them up to the light of truth and Megatron's forever scrutinizing optics. Any act of dissonance or betrayal within the Decepticon ranks was always brought to the exalted leader's attention. Be it out of hidden ambition or a simple blind loyalty, it was an accepted fact that you were never alone on the_ Nemesis_. Somewhere above or below you was a flickering camera or sensor recording your every movement and action. There were no safe havens in the Decepticons.

So then why was Soundwave so quick to trust him then, to allow him entrance to his most sacred of sanctuaries?

Starscream shook his helm in irritation. His CPU circuitry was pulsing painfully from the influx of images that it was still trying to process. Coupled with Starscream's disorientation and- thankfully receding- joint stiffness, it made staying upright a challenge. All he wanted to do was slip back into recharge, but even without his current situation he knew that the realm of sleep was too far away now.

With nothing better to do, Starscream pushed himself off of the edge of the berth and looked towards the med-bay door. If the Autobots had the barest inkling of sense in them they would have it locked. Starscream approached it regardless and barely stifled a gasp of disbelief as it slid open, yawning into the darkness of the foyer beyond.

_'Is this some kind of test?' _Starscream thought to himself as he threw a glance behind him, checking that Bulkhead was still in his catatonic state. _'Are they watching me right now, gauging my reactions?'_ Of course they were. Starscream even evaluated the walls and corners for the tell-tale glare of a camera. If they were spying, they were hiding themselves well.

Well, he wasn't going to achieve anything by just standing there like a statue. Starscream extended a servo into the blackness before him, the vast dark enveloping his limb. No shocks or signs of a force-field. There was no danger. Regardless, Starscream's spark still thundered in its chamber as he entered the foyer.

xx

_"What are you waiting for, Arcee?!" Tailgate shrieked incredulously as he crouched behind the severed hull of a carrier ship, the relentless barrage of missiles and bullets nearly drowning out his words. The horizon was skylined by the silhouettes of a Decepticon military unit. Led by the figurehead himself._

_Arcee refocused the barrel of her sniper rifle, the stand holding it steady on the steel beneath her barely holding back the tremors of her servos. Right in the centre of her cross hairs was a cackling winged monstrosity of a mech, firing wildly into the crowd of fleeing Autobots and civilians alike. His mocking laughter cut through the music of the battle like a hot scalpel through metal, and his optics burned with the reflected fires dancing around him._

_Megatron's Second In Command, Starscream. The one that mere solar cycles ago Arcee would have called a dear friend._

_But there was no friends in war. _

_Arcee had already lost count of the days since the Decepticons attack on Polyhex. Over a thousand lives were lost in those dark first hours. It was a total planet-wide blackout, the cities in complete chaos and the streets lined with dozens of corpses- those who weren't fast enough in fleeing. After an agonising period of total silence, Arcee obtained a summons from Iacon. All soldiers were to retreat to the fortress city and receive orders there. On her way weaving through the countless patrols of faceless Eradicons that blocked her path to safety, she was lucky enough to run into Tailgate. Inside the walls of Iacon, vast fleets and armies had amassed to hear Optimus Prime's solemn words and rally to fight against Megatron. _

_And Unicron damn him, here he was. Not even brave enough to step forward into the filth that he created, instead sending out his lackey to do the dirty work. Not that it looked like said lackey minded such a task._

_'Just one twitch of the digit. One bullet to change the world...' Arcee was stalling. Even with all she had seen, what she had just witnessed- a merciless massacre- she couldn't kill mech she...liked? Befriended?...Loved? _

_Now she was just kidding herself. The figure in her iron sights wasn't Starscream. The Starscream she knew and thought she always would know was long dead. Wiped and warped by Megatron, somehow. Already the war had corrupted his spark, and what emerged from that once shining chamber embedded in his chest, now bearing the Decepticon insignia, was pure evil. _

_He was a virus that needed to be terminated. Yet the finality of that knowledge did nothing to quell Arcee's shakes. If she did fire, then she'd be praised as a hero. Cybertron's cleanser. The rewards were both great and incalculable. But then she'd be betraying the rule of the Autobots; _'Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.' _Did that freedom also account for redemption, or possible change?_

_Before she could make the decision- shoot or spare-, she was tackled to the floor behind a makeshift barricade, disarmed and disoriented. When her vision cleared, Tailgate was at the rifle, lining it up again with a digit hovering over the trigger._

_Taking matters into his own hands, whether Arcee liked it or not._

_The painful _boom _of the bullet speeding out of the barrel and Tailgate falling backwards from the recoil, then cursing as an aching wail rose out of the cruel cacophony of battle. Arcee was hefted up onto Tailgate's back as he sped as far from the scene as he could, his speed impaired from the extra weight. The femme didn't bother struggling. _

_"Frag it, Arcee, what the pit were you doing?!" Tailgate asked mistrustfully, panting as extra energon pulsed to his overworked limbs. She opened and closed her mouth dumbly for a few klicks, searching for an answer. _

_"I...I couldn't pull the trigger," was all she could offer. Her partner cursed again, kicking a rusting wall in frustration. An uncomfortable silence prevailed for an eternity.  
"I missed him, you know," Tailgate revealed, breaking the ice of the air. "Bullet went right past him and into some damn drone. Either I'm never gonna be a sniper or your hesitation is infectious." _

_Infectious. Like a disease. The way he said it, so cutting and regretful, hurt Arcee more than any point-blank fusion blast could. The worst part was that he was right; a soldier left all their doubts behind as soon as they set peds on the battlefield. They did what had to be done for the good of the innocent, those they were protecting. Arcee's indecision might have cost Cybertron thousands of lives that Starscream would snuff out so mercilessly. But if she had overcame that paralysation, she doubted that she could have lived with the onslaught of guilt._

_"Tailgate," Arcee began coolly, fists clenched and dental plates gritted as she choked the words out. "You _know _why I couldn't shoot him. Even if you can't imagine how it would feel, blowing your best friend's spark out-"_

_"Oh, don't give me that slag," Tailgate spat back, as furious externally as Arcee was on the inside. "Your little buddy just coordinated a mass slaughter, he's part of the reason that we're out here! Now I don't know what you saw in that creep," Arcee didn't waste words on defending Starscream against such insults. She doubted that he even deserved it at this point, seeing as she was already giving so much credit to him. "But whatever good that was in him before is gone. Vanished. And you need to accept that before you end up handing victory straight into Megatron's filthy hands!" _

_"I didn't ask for this damn war to start, Tailgate!" Arcee screamed back, dropping all attempts at remaining incognito. "I never thought that I'd be dragged into something like this, that I'd have to face what war came with. The only thing that's kept me from going glitched is the constant worry of Starscream," she paused for a shaky intake, coolant threatening to leak from the edges of her shuttering optics. "And you."_

_Tailgate's faceplate abruptly morphed from enraged to surprised. He lowered his tensed servos, optics darting nervously. He stuttered, trying to get a reply to the revelation out, but all that came was continuous um's and uh's. Arcee's mouthplate drooped slightly at his reaction._

_"As of now, the former support method is...unsuable," she continued. "So if I'm going to get through all of this in one piece... I'm gonna need you." This time Tailgate approached Arcee, whose faceplate was crossed with dripping coolant. She fell forward and Tailgate caught her in an embrace, their sparks beating against the shared contact of their chests. Arcee soaked in the warmth coming from her partner's lifeforce, feeling- if only slightly- elated._

_"Let's get back to base," Tailgate interrupted the brief feeling of nirvana with a cautious look around him. "Prowl'll be wanting a _lot_ of explanations."_

_xx_

Arcee suddenly jerked awake, scraping the top of her helm against the upper berth frame. Her cooling fans prevailed in the otherwise perfect silence, and she was intaking air heavily, her systems taking every measure to stabilize her mentally and physically.

_'So Starscream's not the only one having flashbacks,' _Arcee thought to herself in anguish as she tipped her helm to rest on her knees, offlining her optics for a long while. She thought she had given up the nightmares and recalls of Tailgate long ago. Maybe she was doomed to forever repress them, never truly able to forget such a tragedy.

But this one wasn't the regular 'Airachnid Capture' one, thank Primus for that small mercy. It was her first mission, very early into the war, and she was trusted with taking out a Decepticon unit in Cyber City. It was by luck that the high powers happened to be there.

It was all unloading on her in a rush, and Arcee saw a flashing box pop-up on the corner of her HUD, alerting to an imminent processor overload.

She needed to blow off the excess steam, and let her CPU handle the waves of buried data that it was digging up.

A midnight tour of the base usually helped.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 8; Influx**

Muted clanks of peds on metal sliced through the usual quiet of the Autobot base. The crimson glare of Starscream's optics burned through the darkness, spotlighting the sharp corners and hallways as he threaded his way through the forbidden sectors. He didn't know what he hoped to find or see, all he knew was that he couldn't stay in that accursed med-bay that he had already been confined to for so long.

So far the base had not relinquished any of its supposed secrets in the solitary search. Starscream had briskly walked past the energon store and several maintenance and storage rooms, nothing of particular interest in them. If he had his missiles, then he _could_ blow the whole place into a smouldering wreck with one flick of the wrist. But for once destruction was not the foremost thought in his processor. In fact, his mind was a blank slate. A comforting state of open oblivion. For the first time in many vorns, he was at peace.

While in the virtual enemies clutches. Irony had never tasted so sweet.

His wandering legs brought Starscream to a halt before a heavily armed door. It was the only entrance that appeared remarkable, and if so then it must be for a reason.

_'The Autobot's vaults?' _Starscream queried to himself, examining the vast door for a lock or code that he could break. _'So this is where they keep their toys...'_

xx

"I'm not happy about this, Optimus," Ratchet repeated for the fifth time that night as he sat at a computer monitor in one of the upper level surveillance rooms. The screen showed the base's med-bay, containing the peaceful, recharging forms of Bulkhead and Starscream. The only possible way they could be in proximity of each other without having insults thrown around relentlessly.

"Your apprehension is understandable and expected, Ratchet," Optimus replied by oral rote. "But if Starscream is to be treated as an Autobot, he must act like one. He must feel unthreatened and uncontained, and only then will he develop and adapt to our ways." Ratchet just tsked cynically, muttering on how a recovering patient shouldn't be walking without aid.

Suddenly Starscream shot up with a gasp, looking around erratically. Both Ratchet and Optimus were unsurprised though. "Interrupting natural recharge as well, he'll never improve at this rate," the medic continued to grumble professionally as Starscream seemed to test the floor for danger before making his way across it. "What if he damages something? Or- Primus forbid it- attempts to sabotage us?!"

"Then he shall be terminated accordingly." The casual way in which Optimus answered would have been unsettling for any unseasoned soldier, but Ratchet knew that Optimus had been forced to offline many a more worthy mech before. It was always a tragedy, but a brief one at that. He cleared his throat as the other screens tracked Starscream's progress through the dark walls of the base. The other screens showed the soldier bunks and various other rooms, and Ratchet found his stare shifting to a sudden movement on one of the lower right displays. Arcee's quarters, in which its owner was awake and rubbing her helm. The medic's face bore a disapproving scowl. "See? I told you there were too many variables to make this experiment plausible!" Ratchet protested to Optimus, the Prime's own faceplates as impassive as ever.

"On the contrary, old friend. If Arcee is so crucial to Starscream's memory recovery, then perhaps it be best that the two meet by chance. Cliffjumper's death is still an open wound for her, but in learning to forgive Starscream I believe that that wound can begin to truly heal," Optimus replied calmly, a small smile spreading across his faceplate. Ratchet turned back to the monitors and the wandering shapes of Starscream and Arcee.

"Whatever happens, they'd better not make a mess."

xx

The chill of the metal beneath her calmed Arcee as she trekked through the place she had called home and haven for the past few years. Even with the linger of darkness she felt safe within the familiar corridors. At least, as safe as one could be with a Decepticon in the building.

_Former _Decepticon, she told herself again. One that was once a dear friend.

Once upon a far away time.

If Arcee had known that her first encounter with Airachnid would be the last time she saw Starscream whole...what would she have done? What _could _she have done?  
Blaming herself for her partner's demise. Again. Go figure. Ratchet had said she had an issue with carrying unwarranted guilt. All the hours of mandatory counselling with him and all she had gained was bitterness and sparkache. Shutting people out seemed to help at first: if she had no partner, then they couldn't die on her. But she knew it wasn't healthy. Distancing herself from friends and allies would only increase the crushing onslaught of depression that had smothered her every day. Ever since she lost Tailgate.

She tried to cast her mind back, to where her vision left off. An embrace between two sparks united together as one in the bloody beginnings of war. Even as they were berated endlessly by Prowl- the Autobot military strategist and one of Optimus' closest generals- for the failure of the mission, they had held hands and shared their warmth, fear, and even their amusement at Prowl's hysterics.

Arcee wondered what happened to him, or any of the other Autobot soldiers. Jazz, Ironhide, Blaster, Bluestreak- he came from Praxus, she remembered. The second major loss in the war, after Polyhex. And as the war waged on, the casualties just kept rising. She'd never had the chance to meet Optimus' inner circle when she was on Cybertron, and the last she had heard of them was that they were scattered across the universe with the rest of the refugees. Not soldiers anymore. Scared little sparklings looking for a hole to crawl into and hide while here on Earth bots died so that they didn't have to.

Arcee felt a throbbing pain in her ped, and only realized the cause of it when she saw the large dent in the wall. She had lashed out and kicked it in her fury, and she didn't even notice. The dangers of relapse. Did Starscream experience this as more painful memories floated to the surface of his mind? Did he release that pain, or did he just let it rot him from the inside? Just as Arcee always did.

She rounded a corner, and almost skidded to a stop at the sight before her. The door to the base vaults, open. She had to blink several times before it sunk in. _'That sneaky, conniving piece of slagging Pit spawn!' _Just when she was beginning to rekindle the flames of friendship with Starscream, he goes ahead and does this. Breaking into the place that held the only things that stopped Megatron from smashing them into scrap. What was he trying to do? Escape? Bribe his way back into Megatron's good books?

_'No...after what he's learned, he wouldn't go crawling back to the monster that emptied his spark,' _she tried to convince herself. Maybe Starscream didn't even know where he was; a nightly walk gone awry.

A simple mistake that constituted him having a penchant for breaking locks. The door's keypad mechanism was left fritzing, and the hidden covering was thrown to the side, wrenched off by sharp claws. The same claws that had left her a still-healing scar in her side. He had already torn Arcee's spark out, what else was he wishing to find and throw away?

xx

Starscream passed by the mostly empty lots of the inner Autobot vaults with an aura of frustration, yet to see anything worthwile or interesting. He barely even recognised the junk that the Autobots had collected; a plate of metal and a servo brace, as well as what looked like a human handgun. And they thought they could stop Megatron with flimsy gimmicks? It was a miracle they hadn't been wiped out by now.

But one lot did make him pause in his tracks, something that took up a bulk of the room rather than a tiny pedestal. An Insecticon stasis pod, used for incubating their young and growing adolescents. Why would the Autobots be keeping one of those around?

On closer look, however, Starscream could see that the pod was occupied. A black mass contained in the translucent shell, fangs stretched in a shrill cry, pink optics burning through like acid...

**ERROR; Subject is in presence of glitch relative**

**Commencing default data load, 10%...**

Something seemed to hit Starscream as he took in Airachnid's trapped form. An onslaught of agony that caused his knees to buckle, dropping him ungracefully to the floor as a sudden fire ignited in his CPU.

**30%...**

He couldn't see the vaults, the room, or even his own talons waving frantically in front of him. Images flashed past his vision, of Airachnid standing high above Crystal City, Megatron standing in the city centre, an evil smirk painted on his faceplate.

**50%...**

Of armies spilling into the centre, citizens and innocents scattering, gunned down seconds later. Their energon flowed into the gutters and the sky was alight with flames and screams. Skywarp and Thundercracker cornered, spindly rods reaching out to them and slicing across their armour with barbed ends...

**80%...**

Starscream heard himself shout in protest, but only distantly. He couldn't even feel the floor beneath him, everything was focused on the single sight that tore his mind apart. His brothers, his trine, thrown to the streets and held aloft like hunting trophies.

**99%...**

Like hunting trophies...the very same ones that the cursed techno-organic had collected after her defection of the Decepticons. Were their heads contained in her ship, hung on the wall with once-fiery optics staring blankly into oblivion?

**Data load complete**

**WARNING; Subject is overheating**

**Subject is experiencing critical CPU sparking**

**Processor overload is imminent**

Even as he felt something lightly touching his tensed limbs, Starscream didn't- _couldn't _snap out of the painful memory lapse. His helm was lifted off the cold floor and onto something warm, so comforting that he subconsciously buried himself into it. Arcee held Starscream as a human mother would hold her newborn, shaking and so vulnerable in the light of a new, hostile world. Finding him curled up and cowering in the centre of the hallway had surprised her, but then she saw Airachnid. The source of more misery than even Megatron himself had dealt out. A common enemy for the Star and the Ar. Eventually, the horrible images faded and the real world showed through the spreading cracks of Starscream's vision, blue and silver armour filling the scene. And though the paralyzing pictures of his trine's fate were still raw in his mind, and uncontrollable sobs shook his systems, he allowed himself to calm at the soothing sensation that followed from Arcee's touch. She ran a servo across his spasming back, remembering what her own guardian had done to fight her sadness. All her speculations and doubts about Starscream had evapourated then, replaced with the need to help. To aide and comfort, the brief moment showcasing the rebirth of friendship. Somewhere above them, two smiles regarded the sight with approval.


	15. Chapter 15

_Eternal thank you's again to my lovely readers, reviewers and favouriters for sticking with me through this, anonymous or named :D I've named this Chapter 9 because I'm counting the flashback chapters as 'memory sequences' rather than normal chapters._

_Dragonstormgirl: Oooh no, this little trainwreck has got a _long _way to go before ending, I can promise you that ;D _

_xx_

**Chapter 9; Reconcile**

_"I sense discomfort from you,"_ Laserbeak relayed to Soundwave, rousing him from his state of rest. He glanced over at the symbiote perched on the desk opposite him, formulating an explanation for the emotional turmoil that was radiating from him.

_"Slight corruption in the data transfer process," _Soundwave transmitted over the psychic link, returning promptly to his work on the Iacon database. _"It will subside." _Laserbeak would have scoffed in disbelief if he had the vocal capacity to do so, but did not confront the mech on his attempts at lying. It was obvious that the most recent memory lapse was a sensitive one. To recall the past years of Cybertron at the height of its glory- and corruption- would send any bot into recluse from the mournful nostalgia. But this memory held more than sacred images of a long lost home. Those watching pinpricks of muted red in the darkness of Soundwave's quarters... it had been so long since Laserbeak had thought of his brother, his fellow symbiote bonded to unite against the horrors of the Cybertronian underworld. He barely even remembered his name, let alone the moments spent together in stinging cold and endless starvation. But he didn't suspect for one nanoklick that Soundwave would forget so easily. His shoulders were tensed and helm hung low, a clear indicator of new-found malaise. Though as a sudden alert from Megatron ripped through the silence of the duo's link, Soundwave's tension dissolved and was swiftly replaced with his default purposeful stance. Laserbeak fitted himself into the snug cavity of his chest and they made their way to the waiting Command Centre of the Nemesis.

"Soundwave," Megatron addressed his Communications Officer as the door behind him hissed open. "Not to interrupt your _vital _work..." Soundwave noted the biting sarcasm laced in his leader's tone, and prepared himself for a confrontation. "But why hasn't another set of coordinates been decoded recently?" Soundwave allowed his coiled cables to loosen in relief. Aggression would not be necessary today, if at all in the future.

_"An obstruction of some sort..."_ Knock Out's voice played from Soundwave to answer Megatron's question. Not a physical obstruction this time, rather a mental one. One that Soundwave had been planning for millennia.

"Hmm," Megatron grumbled, turning back to the open window of the Nemesis fore-front. A thick layer of clouds blocked the view of Earth below, and the moon was fresh on the horizon. "I expect a new relic location to be decoded soon, Soundwave. _Before _the Autobots can do so themselves. We can't be falling behind, now can we?" Soundwave nodded, hidden wires sparking at Megatron's careful choice of words. _'Falling...' _Before his body could betray any emotion, Soundwave turned and exited the Command Centre as silently as he entered. A duo of Vehicon guards saluted him and tracked his form as he left. Megatron brought up a view of Soundwave's quarters on the screen in front of him. Not flickering or static edged, as what most of the surveillance equipment on the Nemesis was displaying recently. No Eradicons or Vehicons had found the source of the technical difficulties, and Soundwave himself showed ignorance towards the matter. Or rather, _feigned _ignorance.

Megatron had seen enough of Starscream over the centuries to know the signs of a traitor.

xx

Two shadows trekked through the cold walls of the Autobot base, the scrape and scuff of metal-on-metal searing through the muteness of the evening. Arcee looped one of Starscream's servos around the back of her neck and wrapped a servo of her own around his waist, supporting him as their peds dragged along the floor. Sleep was catching up with them, and Arcee wanted nothing more than to collapse in the comfort of her berth; potential nightmares be damned. But the gnawing worry of Starscream kept her going. Even as his shakes faded he could barely keep himself upright, and his optics were wide and twitching. Ratchet would know what had happened, and what to do to help Starscream. Arcee could just leave him in the med-bay and... no. She knew perfectly well what had happened, what had caused Starscream to break down like that. Post Traumatic Stress was always a problem in war, so common that you just got used to the sight of even the most weathered warrior of an elite squadron reduced to a trembling mass of shorting circuits and spreading coolant. Years of therapy, counselling and relentless repressment had numbed the rawness that surrounded her spark. But with Starscream, who was having so much suffering unleashed onto him all at once... Tailgate's death couldn't even hold a candle to what he must have been going through. The massacre of Crystal City was mostly common knowledge amongst both Autobots and Decepticons, in which an entire swarm of Insecticons was released into the city after its governors refused to hand over their Seeker population to Megatron. Countless precious trine bonds had either been severed or wiped out completely that day. Starscream was one of the unfortunate survivors. To lose ones trine was as devastating as losing a spark fragment; rather, all three members were connected by the spark itself. Agonising, burning waves of torment rushing to the surface after so long lying dormant...

Arcee shook her helm violently to expel the depressing thoughts. The problem remained; Starscream could not return to the partial solitude of the med-bay. So where would he sleep for the rest of the night?

With a look sideways at Starscream's fallen expression, she knew with a grimace the only option available.

xx

"What do you say to _this_, Optimus?" Ratchet asked with a stony face, watching the Prime's reaction to what was shown on the left-most illuminated display closely. Arcee's quarters was getting a lot of notice that particular night, and this time she had brought something with her. Or rather, some_one. _

"Hmm..." Optimus' initial reply was cryptic and more contemplative than disapproving as Starscream was lifted onto Arcee's berth. The femme seemed to first lower herself to the floor but the mech protested with a visual lagged motion of his servos. Long hesitation, then Arcee pushed herself up next to Starscream. She didn't lower her head though, instead staying upright as if on watch for something. "I'd say that Arcee is acting out of the goodness of her spark and taking Starscream's well-being into her own responsible _and _capable hands."

"But Optimus, surely you can't approve of this...this _fraternisation _with..." Ratchet had to think of what to brand Starscream as now, the mech who had just so recently been under his knife and at his mercy.

"With what, Ratchet?" Optimus inquired coolly as the medic racked his mind for a suitable answer. "Did I not name Starscream an Autobot?"  
"Well, yes, but-"  
"But nothing. If this," he motioned to the screen showing Arcee's slowly drooping helm that jerked then and again in an attempt to stay alert. "Shows that Arcee is overcoming her need for vengeance, then I say we let nature and fate take its course. Now, I'd say it's time for us to be heading to sleep, now." A thinly veiled dismissal that was only made more insulting with the small smile on the Prime's faceplates. Not even Optimus' silver glossa could rid Ratchet of lingering suspicions about Starscream. The humans had an old saying, 'a cheetah never changes its spots.' Perhaps the same rang true for the Decepticons; no matter what good they did for their enemy, they still bared the wretched purple insignia. The symbol that eternally haunted the waking and dead hours of every Autobot still alive.


	16. Chapter 16

_In the first draft of this, Chapter 16 is where I decided to do the rewrite. Orignally, I was planning to end it just a few chapters afterwards. Now there is absolutely no chance it it being that short. I can't even begin on how many ideas have suddenly popped up and caused me relentless headaches xD Some of them you'll hate me for, that I can promise. Most have been inspired by and will link into War for/Fall of Cybertron lore even though I haven't even finished the game yet. AND MOST OF THE STUFF I'VE ALREADY SAID DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS WITH THAT LORE WHAT HELP. As such, I've listed this as Alternate Universe to avoid having to rewrite that all. _

_This is just Part 1 of the swarm of ideas that I'm continuously refining, tweaking and stuffing in somehow every day. After it's finished, I'll no doubt take a break and try and get all the more unruly (and by unruly I mean impossible) concepts for Part 2 ironed out. But until then, keep on the Remnant Ride if I'm still managing to somehow keep you interested! :D_

_xx_

**Memory Sequence 06 initialising...**

**/**

**/**

**Loading complete**

**.**

_If there was one thing that was universally known for the Seeker race, it was that despite their great diversity, there was one trait that every one held._

_That which was the need to fly. _

_Megatron did not understand such an instinct, or else he would never have instilled an order of grounded confinement on Starscream. And he certainly wouldn't have pardoned him if he discovered that he was clearly breaking said order. Deep down inside, Starscream had always held a spark of rebellion, certainly not as strong nor blatant as Knock Out's youthful aversion to authority. It was constantly repressed under his usual subordinate nature, lest he be punished for defiance. So he didn't count his late flights as an act of rebellion, it was the simple need to satisfy his inborn instincts. _

_It was easy enough to slip out when the sky had darkened to the evening indigo and the drones had retired for the night. The Decepticon bases were mostly underground, though towers that connected them all together rose from the ground and threw great shadows across the magma streets of Kaon. To soar on the air waves and rolling currents, to feel the wind rush past his form and caress his wings was to bring an unmatched sense of pure euphoria to burst in the core of his spark. Far on the horizon the glowing outlines of Crystal City shone relentlessly, home calling to him. He had heard of the mass evacuation of the city's residents to Vos, after it was suspected to be infected with Dark Energon. Even in the chaos of the move he wasn't able to contact his trine. It had been so long since he last saw them, Thundercracker in his maturity and seriousness and the familiar contrast of Skywarp's sparkling traits. They were a pain in the aft, and he would have given anything to be reunited with them. But the only thing he had to give was his spark, and his skills. At least with the latter he could do some good for himself. _

_Starscream saw Cybertron's moon reach its apex and turned himself back towards the nearest tower, diving and landing down on the roof as softly as he could. Heels clicked and resounded through the night as he lifted the cover off of the roof's portal door. When he reached down to lift himself into the portal though, a shadow at the very edge of the roof caught his attention. _

_Night was a rare time for Soundwave. A time of solace, of meditation. There was no lingering fear of encountering undesirables or pointless confrontations. Just himself, the elements and the watching stars. The mechanical melody of the planet revealed itself in the twilight hours, rising through the ground and riding on the subtle draughts of wind to the tallest Spires of Kaon. Below the lava-esque rivers that winded through the streets was muted in its now blue glow, a visual masterpiece to accompany the orchestra. If Primus did create this world, he did it with beauty in mind. _

_Beauty that Megatron threatened to ruin. _

_It started with Trypticon Station._

_They had arrived at the scientist outpost; himself, Megatron and Dreadwing, with Skyquake managing the ship at the docking station. There had been rumours of a new discovery at the station, though it was hushed up as much as possible by the High Council. The underworld and shadows were abuzz with the name Dark Energon. The remaining legacy of Unicron's battle against Primus, his blood and lifeforce. Megatron had grown very interested in the substance and intended to see it for himself. The scientists were stubborn though, denying the very existence of Dark Energon, let alone allowing Megatron to seize it. The only obstacle that stood between furious peace and a massacre was Dreadwing's insistence that innocents not be harmed for something that may not even exist. They left empty-handed that day, but Soundwave had seen the bloodthirst and anger in Megatron's optics, fading from ice blue to red. They would be back, and the outcome would not be nearly so clean. _

_When Soundwave had first witnessed Megatron- then the Pit gladiator champion Megatronus- at one of his famous Decepticon rallies, he had radiated charisma, confidence and pure sincerity. He was a fellow victim of the caste system, and he would not allow it to break him. What Soundwave saw nowadays in that crimson-eyed figure was a shadow of the mech whose banner he had proudly acted under. He saw only a shell filled with blind hate, megalomania and insanity. Poisonous traits that would disease the planet and rot it from the inside. _

_Crystal City shone hollow and empty in the distance. Another campaign of Megatron's that had gone horribly right. Shockwave was already rooted deep within the aristocracy of Iacon City, but to have enough influence to order a city-wide evacuation? They were either bored or unbelievably stupid. Still, it did kill two predacons with one bullet. In going through with the vacation over a Dark Energon scare, the Council has revealed the sure existence of the substance and their paranoia of it. Vos and Crystal were also known hives for the Seeker population; special body casts who specialised in flight and aerial manoeuvring. Not rare, but by no means common. By gathering them all in one area, Megatron can keep tabs of them before moving forward with his plans to recruit them all into the Decepticons. And if they refused...well, it helped to focus on the positives. But even that was hard when Soundwave's spark ached for the proximity of his wandering symbiote. It had been countless vorns since Laserbeak had been assigned to watching over Crystal City, and even when the streets where deserted he was still commanded by Megatron to 'guard them'. Still, at least he had another to keep him company in those days..._

_A sudden scrape from behind him hurled Soundwave from his stupor of inner turmoil. Before he could orient himself around, the source of the disturbance was gone with not a trace left behind. Except from suggestion of a rough entry, the cover of the portal set into the roof reset haphardzardly. In a hurry to get away. _

_As Soundwave looked over the panorama of Kaon from above, he was starting to feel the same way. _


End file.
